RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32586, 21 April 1971, Page 18

RANDOM REMINDER

THE CAT AND THE CANARY

A not in this column about a month ago has had an unfortunate effect on the easy-going relationship between a Christchurch couple and the people next door. There is no question of animosity, or anything like that; it is simply that both parties read this particular note. ... It was about the housewife who had a couple of callers fleeing from her front door because she had not heard their knock, and had gone to close the door; she was one vf those uninhibited creatures who in the hot weather like to do their housework in a state of complete undress. Now, our correspondent says, the man next door, calling to deliver a parcel for her, dare not open the

door, which had been his usual practice. But she did not write to tell us about that, particularly. Rather, it was a continuation of what seems to be developing into an animal week in this column. She has a daughter of eight, and the little thing, like most children, was dead keen to have a pet of her own. She used to ask if sh co..'J have a horse but, with their section measuring no more than 24 perches, that did not seem to be a particularly splendid idea. She graduated downwards, the girl, to requests for a dog, then guinea pigs; her most recent and very recent birthday brought from her what was regarded as a much more acceptable idea a canary.

Even then, there were grave doubts, for there is a family cat, and it was felt that the cat would not be content until it had eaten the canary and even if thwarted in that enterprise, might well frighten the little bird to death. They took the risk and bought the bird. The result was astounding. The cat is terrified of the canary. It hides all day under one of the beds, and will not even eat in its usual comer of the kitchen, because there it can hear the merry chirping of the canary. So now they are worried about what is clearly a mentally unbalanced cat. And about its future. What chance would it have, if it was confronted by a mouse?