Basil the tailless cat (London)

The Highwood Road house had a garden at the back.  I’d get home from work, change straight out of my outdoor clothes into old gardening gear, and go and do some weeding in the garden until it got dark.

After the first day, a stocky black and white cat with a docked tail (or he was a Manx cat) would come and join me in my weeding, staying around me throughout, sitting somewhere close by.  Housemate Sheila later told me he was next door’s cat Basil — she’d heard them calling him.

The window of my ground- to first-floor half-landing rear bedroom overlooked the roof of the ground floor kitchen extension.  I’d leave it open in the warm weather.  Basil found his way into my room one evening, by climbing onto the kitchen roof, then up onto my window sill.  He’d come every night and sleep in my bed.

The path from the kitchen door to the garden was lined with cherry trees.  The tree trunks were about 4 inches (10 cms) in diameter.

One day, I was walking down the garden path to go and do some weeding when I saw Basil sitting behind one of the cherry trees — on the other side of the tree from me.  His head was hidden by the tree trunk, but the rest of his body stuck out. 

I’d initially thought he was just sitting there, daydreaming and minding his own business, but when I got closer to the tree, Basil suddenly stepped out into the path, stood up on his hind legs, raised his upper legs into the air (like someone surrendering to the police or a robber), mouth wide open, in a silent “HA!  BOO!” gesture.  So, he was hiding behind the tree, lying in wait for me!  

He obviously didn’t realise that the tree trunk was too narrow to hide the rest of his body.  He must’ve thought, just because he couldn’t see me (with his head, and therefore eyes too, behind the tree trunk), that I couldn’t see him either.  Hahahahaha.

PS:  Having written this blog, it occurred to me that people in this country don’t tend to dock the tails of dogs and cats (unlike in Singapore during my childhood when it was done — for hygiene reasons, I was told), so Basil must be a Manx cat.  

Googling the traits of Manx cats produces “playful” for one of them!

From googling:

QUOTE 

The Manx is considered a social and gregarious cat, and very attached to humans, but also shy of strangers. The breed is said to be highly intelligent, playful, and in its behaviour reminiscent of dogs. For example, like some Maine Coons and a few other breeds, Manx cats often learn to fetch small thrown objects. They may also follow their owners about like puppies, and are believed to be better able to learn simple verbal commands than most cats.  …temperament …“quaint and interesting” … “docile, good-tempered and sociable”

UNQUOTE

(London, 1983)