Thanks Epona. He does, I think. He's an indoor cat. A decision I made (in two minds) when I first got him, because he was an incredibly timid and very nervous cat (well, kitten at the time), and living opposite a row of industrial units that are used for all sorts and quite busy during the day, and with the main road just a few doors down, I thought it was probably for the best. I've often wondered over the years whether it's affected him in any way. It took him a very long time to get over his nervousness, and even now, at 12, he still darts away as soon as there's a knock on the door, even though now he might venture back downstairs again to have a sniff at visitors' shoes after a while (and he loves to roll around on my mum's partner's shoes
). But, despite still not really being 100% sure of whether it was 'fair' to him or not, I look at him, sleeping there with that stupid grin on his face, and think about all the belly rubs he gets, all the cuddles, that he doesn't get into fights (apart from with me when he's feeling ornery), and he's safe from the traffic. I reckon he's got a pretty sweet deal
