How to use this Page

This is Pink’s Snatcher look.  She learned it when Snatcher lived with us and terrorized the rest of the animals with his high-handed haughty ways.   Its years since Snatcher left Wayside Cottage and went to live with the Car-Man (who taught him to be nastier than he needs to be) but you can see there are things behind his eyes that he doesn’t bother to hide.  The same goes for Pink.   All our cats have secrets in one way or another, except for Bamber.  He’s simple and true and honest.  He wears no mask.  He’s the only normal cat we have.  Snatcher was a dreadful thief, and he lied all the time, almost without trying.  He never took the blame for anything but when he left we found a large stash of contraband (including some precious stories) behind the wardrobe in the spare room, where he had his quarters.

When Snatcher lived in the Six Foot the rest of the animals spent their days and nights waiting for him to do something bad.  Now that he’s gone, they can all relax and be a little bit naughty and eccentric themselves.  Snatcher’s nastiness equalized everything and it wasn’t possible for anyone else to be bad while he was around, because compared to him their nastiness would have looked like the acme of good behaviour. Now that he’s left the pressure’s off, and Bamber can be naughty if he wants to. He doesn’t have to spend his time watching Snatcher and waiting for him to step out of line, and he doesn’t have to patrol the Six Foot and stop the neighbourhood cats from coming to paying Snatcher court. Instead he can try stealing my dinner (no one minds this) and Alleycat can sit in front of the dogs’ water bowl and stop them from drinking (he does this a lot, it’s his prerogative).  Everyone here’s the best of friends and yet in a weird, unexpected kind of way we all miss Snatcher and wish him nothing but the best, just so long as he never comes back!