He fell off walls, crashed into greenhouses, taunted dogs and terrorised the local pedigree felines. But he was a lovable rogue with a legion of fans
Our house is not the sprucest on our leafy, suburban street, and patches of grass and moss peek through the gravel outside. In summer, the garden blooms with untamed greenery that wraps around the walls and threatens to bring down the fence. We used to picture our well-to-do neighbours raising their eyebrows.
But Bernie was never embarrassed by our shabbiness, or his. He would squat in the middle of the driveway and defy anyone to judge his matted fur or ragged ears. With his stocky body and huge tomcat cheeks, he stood out in our neighbourhood of posh pedigrees. And for those other cats he was a terror, ruling the street with an iron paw. He had spent months as a stray, which had given him a streetwise, gritty swagger, despite his pathetic, squeaky attempts at an alleycat’s yowl.
Continue reading… He fell off walls, crashed into greenhouses, taunted dogs and terrorised the local pedigree felines. But he was a lovable rogue with a legion of fansOur house is not the sprucest on our leafy, suburban street, and patches of grass and moss peek through the gravel outside. In summer, the garden blooms with untamed greenery that wraps around the walls and threatens to bring down the fence. We used to picture our well-to-do neighbours raising their eyebrows.But Bernie was never embarrassed by our shabbiness, or his. He would squat in the middle of the driveway and defy anyone to judge his matted fur or ragged ears. With his stocky body and huge tomcat cheeks, he stood out in our neighbourhood of posh pedigrees. And for those other cats he was a terror, ruling the street with an iron paw. He had spent months as a stray, which had given him a streetwise, gritty swagger, despite his pathetic, squeaky attempts at an alleycat’s yowl. Continue reading… Life and style, Cats, Pets