Cats are asleep about two-thirds of the time, but their noses and ears seem to be always on the alert. Open a can of tuna in the kitchen without making a sound and the aroma will reach a cat who is sound asleep several rooms away. Soon she is by your feet, asking for a share. Rustling a bag of cat treats will often have the same effect.

A black cat is aware of the camouflage value of its coat. One of our cats noticed a mouse hole beside the garden shed and lay down close by under a maple tree. She became almost invisible in the dense shade and the hunt was successful.

Your cats can distinguish the sound of your automobile from all the others going by. When you get home they are waiting to greet you. One of our cats would sit on the back of the couch and push aside a vane of the vertical blinds to look out the window. When we drove up, especially after dark, there would be two golden eyes looking right at us.

A cat can sleep anywhere, sometimes in a secluded spot, often in your favourite chair. Sometimes they find a vantage point where they can keep track of everything going on in the house

Angus, who looks very much like the cat in the above picture, has chosen the washing machine as his vantage point. The other cat in the house cannot jump that high, so it belongs exclusively to Angus. He has a clear view from there out the hallway window, plus the people of the house frequently walk in front of him. He can then loudly demand attention and we don’t have to bend down to offer the attention and comfort he desires.