I heard Alice vociferating one morning last week “You can’t just bring in friends here you know, this isn’t a pub or a hotel!” I walked into the kitchen wondering who on earth she was lecturing and couldn’t help bursting into laughter at what I saw.

It had to happen. After walking in from the street, living with us for a few months and liking it, the white Manx cat that we call Rabbit had to go around recommending us to her friends. Result – she had walked in with a pal: a rather handsome ginger male with a proud tail like an upright flag.

There he sat, behind her food bowl, ready to spring off at any moment in case his reception was far from welcoming while Rabbit herself looked up endearingly at us with her very best artful “Oh don’t you love me, aren’t I cute?” expression. Alice is a confirmed cat fan and though I warned her not to feed him, it was not long before she gave into Rabbit’s feline wiles and treated her friend to “just a few scraps.”