Feline Frolics (4)

Doreen Tovey enchants us again with stories of life with her husband Charles in a West Country village, where they are driven to distraction by Siamese cats, Annabel the donkey, nesting swallows, bucking horses, and the villagers who still regard them as inept townsfolk, even after 18 years. In an effort to get away from it all, they take a trip to Canada to see the bears and wolves— much to the alarm of Father Adams and Miss Wellington. If they can't handle Siamese cats, how will they handle a grizzly? However, after hearing what the villagers have been up to in their absence, they wonder if they might have been safer in Canada. As for the cats, Seeley and Shebalu start acting strangely when they develop a taste for dog food. But it is time for another solemn little Seal Point to come into their lives— who takes some settling in.

The Toveys attempt to settle down to a quiet life in the country. Unfortunately for them, however, their tyrannical Siamese cats have other ideas. This is a funny tale for the animal lovers.

It wasn't, we discovered as the months went by, that Sugieh was particularly wicked. It was just that she was a Siamese. Animal lovers Doreen Tovey and her husband Charles acquire their first Siamese kitten to rid themselves of an invasion of mice, although they worry about the cat attacking the birds. But Sugieh is not just any cat. She's an iron hand in a delicate, blue-pointed glove; an actress, a prima donna, an empress of cats, and she quickly establishes herself as queen of the house. Finding themselves thus enslaved, Doreen and Charles try to minimise the chaos she causes daily: screaming like a banshee, chewing up telegrams, and tearing holes in anything made of wool. But there is worse to come, as soon Sugieh decides she is ready to become the Perfect Mother. She and her adorable kittens devote themselves to tightening their grip on the Tovey household.

Tucked away in an idyllic corner of the West Country, you’d think Doreen and her husband Charles would be enjoying a peaceful life — but far from it. Their wily Siamese companions still keep them on their toes. The Toveys are presented with a new problem when the local cattery closes down. Where will they leave Saska and Shebalu when they go on holiday? And so they buy a caravan to take the cats away with them, only to discover that packing up and leaving home is far from a holiday when seal-points are involved…