The extra wet May - even for the Ardennes -meant that our six cats spent most of their time indoors. This led to one or two problems.

Call it feline frustration but relationships became somewhat strained. There is a pecking order of sorts but little spats broke out all over the place and led to an inordinate amount of fur flying.

Worse, was the tendency to pee in places other than the THREE strategically placed litter trays! One female(!) stood on the worktop and performed a projectile pee which just missed my feet. Another decided to 'water' a pile of papers I'd left on the table, (including a prescription for a blood test) but worst of all was the little darling who weed all over the brand new computer keyboard. At first we hoped we had saved it by upturning it on kitchen paper but once it had dried it was obviously well and truly 'stuck' so another one had to be bought in England and sent over. (The French don't use QWERTY keyboards so you can't buy them here).

Now that summer has arrived with a vengeance they all clamour at our bedroom window to be let out as soon it starts to get light. However, because they're all now (allegedly) in the habit of using a litter tray they will run in from their pussy play outside to perform indoors. I have put one tray outside but they still choose the one in the conservatory!

Needless to say, as soon as it warms up in the garden they all come indoors again and stretch out lazily on armchairs to snooze through the heat of the day.  Not a bad life for cats.