I don’t know what it is about them, I don’t know how they do it. But our cat knows when the absolute most inconvenient time would be to try to sit on my lap. If I am watching Tv, no way. If I am sitting somewhere having a quiet glass of wine, no chance. But if I have just got a good idea for a blog, or I have a deadline to beat, or I have just made a promise to someone about responding immediately, the cat appears, claws its way up my leg and onto my lap. Where it doesn’t fit. My legs are too short or my stomach is too big and the gap between my desk and my belly button just will not allow the animal to be restful.

Frankly it doesn’t want to be restful anyway. It insists on clawing its way up my chest and trying to balance on my shoulder as I write and objects noisily to every letter I punch. In protest then clambers down and steps onto the keyboard. Not at all helpful.

I don’t even like cats. How do they know though?