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Kittyword
Can you spot the five differences
between these two pics?
Spot the difference Find the answers on page 77.I’ve read, of a dominant cat.
I bought a brush to groom his long
thick fur and, from the first stroke, it
was: ‘What pure delight is this?’ The next
evening, I brushed him again. On the
third night he came, looked me squarely
in the eye, and then stared at the brush
under the coffee table. I understood his
order immediately. Finding me slow on
the uptake, he touched the brush with his
nose and looked hard at me again.
Impatient now, Biffo shoved at the
brush with his nose and glared at me.
Let’s see how far this goes, I thought. He
knocked the brush to the floor, planted
a big paw on the handle, and stared me
in the eye. Hastily, I obeyed and brushed
him. He demanded a brush most nights
after that. When I’m told ‘cats can’t learn
tricks’, I always remember this. True
enough, Biffo didn’t learn them:
he taught them.
And he was a good trainer. I’ve
never been one for lying full-length on
the sofa, but did so a couple of times
when very tired, and Biff had enjoyed
lying in front of me. I didn’t do it often
enough for his liking so he formulated
a training plan.
Jumping on to the sofa arm beside me,
he’d gaze at me unblinkingly. I’d lift him
on to my lap, thinking that was what he
wanted, but he spurned that, immediately
returning to the arm and staring again. If
I looked his way, he would shift his glare
to a spot further along the sofa, almost
with a nod. It occurred to me that this
nod indicated the spot where my head
would be if I lay down. Surely not?
Experimenting, I lay down. Instantly,
Biff scurried to make himself comfortable
in front of me and began cleaning his
ears. After a moment, he paused and
looked over his shoulder at me. Why was
I not stroking him? Obediently, I stroked
his belly, my fingers sinking into thick
soft fur. Biff sighed contentedly as he
returned to face-cleaning. He’d taught
me another trick.
“Show him who’s boss,” Can-Opener
Two said, despite being entirely under
the paw himself.
“Why? He already knows.”
Biffo’s health was excellent until the
last few months of his long life. He died
of kidney failure in 2011. By adding up
the time he spent with each of his three
adoring Can-Openers, we calculate that
he must have been at least 22.
I still miss him. “Get another cat,”
friends say. They don’t understand. There
are other cats but there isn’t another
Biffo; he was the cat love of my life.—ACROSS- This month’s short story author,
Victoria ____ (8) - Our cat-loving celebrity, Chizzy
___ (7) - We weigh up the pros and
cons of using which piece of
equipment? (7) - The 11-year-old owner of
National Cat of the Year, Genie (4) - The winner of this month’s
Kitten Gallery (5) - Vet Bradley Viner focuses on
which organ this month? (6)
DOWN- One-half of this real-life
adventurous duo, ____
and Keel (4) - November’s Kitten of
the Month (4) - The surname of this month’s
Pawtraits winner (5) - Find the purrfect present
with our Christmas gift
_____ (5) - This issue’s Golden Oldie of the
Month (5) - The Cats Protection branch that
won Team of the Year (7)
1236784 59101112Write your answer on the competition coupon
or enter online (see page 82). The first three
correct entries to be drawn will win a six-month
subscription to Your Cat Magazine (UK only).Solve &
WIN!
BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING CAT MAGAZINETHE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!SIX-PAGE CHRISTMAS SPECIALNGEE^Xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx XXXXXX
xxxxxxxxxNovember 2017 £3.60R46 0000Meet the owners with houses full
of cats!Genie and the Year Cat of
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UK ONLYACTRESS CHIZZY AKUDOLU O HARNESSING THE TRUTH O CAT ARTWHAT DOES GET UP TO?WGET UP TO?YOUR CAT YOUR CAT HAT DOESIn the
dark,
darknighREAL LIFEFlavour may vary1 Cover Nov17 CS.indd 1CLUE: A LIVE-WIRE LEOPARD (6)66-67 YC TCT1 CS2(am).indd 67 29/09/2017 12:37