Princess Yasmin: Whitchurch’s latest resident

Dear Editors

May I introduce myself as a ‘new’ reader of your splendid magazine. I find it cool and comfortable for sleeping on in hot weather. It is also extra easy to absorb and assimilate the articles of interest, even those submitted by dogs, while still snoozing.

I am a Bengal Cat and my name is Princess Yasmin, now resident in Whitchurch.

Being much travelled, I find living in Whitchurch is just fine. It is flat, friendly, familiar, and full of useful shops that actually stock and sell things you want to buy – potatoes, toothpaste, silver shoes with matching bag, wedding hats made out of nothing at all, packets of seeds, small tables, chicken wire, decent mints for chapel, lavender oil, notebooks, bags of oatmeal and garden plants of all shapes and sizes.

People say ‘hello’ whether they know you or not. People with dogs stop and chat.

Now, with the mention of dogs, I have my cue where I can get round to clearing up a few points which Mollie the Dog responded to in her last letter (Whitchurch and Llandaff Living, Issue 38). I must make mention of the fact that I was brought up with a large gentle brown Labrador called Conker living close by; we became firm friends and he taught me a lot about dogs. What faithful friends they were – strong, brave and sociable. Many of them had really serious jobs too.

So, I read with great interest and amusement, Mollie’s letter in the last edition, putting forward the views of dogs, quite popular pet companions these days I understand. I must congratulate her on her informative and interesting letter – all things considered.

As a cat, I felt I too should put paw to pen and pen to paper. But firstly a word about cats in general.

Regarded as a household god in olden times, cats were treated with great reverence by the ancient Egyptians and, still today, are worshipped by hundreds of thousands of people across the known world. And possibly beyond!

Now to my response to the various points raised in Mollie the Dog’s letter:

• Wet Dog We cats always avoid getting wet.
• Dog Foods Cats frequently change their minds about foodstuffs. We train our kittens to walk away from perfectly good food that the previous day we had all eaten with relish. It keeps our associates (people companions) on their toes. Cats can never be taken for granted when planning their menus.
• Going for walks Cats go for walks on their own, they need time to think and get way from it all.
• Going to the vet When I was living in Pembrokeshire some years ago, our dear lady vet held ‘cat only days’ – Tuesdays if I remember correctly. Totally barking free.
• In fact, the receptionist played tapes of lesser known works by Bach, which was much appreciated by cats with their highly developed, cultured and sensitive natures.
• The poo bag issue This I could not believe! Cats’ toilet arrangements are totally secret, private, odourless and as they do NOT rely on plastic, are never damaging to the planet or witnessed by anyone else.
• Cats do not have a lateral sense of time. We think of ourselves as eternal beings. We do not follow direct paths in the garden or in living. We are not predictable, but overly fond of tangents, in our lives and in our letters. Hence this one.

Maybe there will be more letters in the future about my delightful, new feline neighbours, Yin-Yan, Pixel Pwsmawr, Soot-du Jones, Cato, Taffi-Triog and Marmalade Frank.

Until the next time, feline-itations and felicitations.

Princess Yasmin of Whitchurch