Funny how you tend to think of cats and dogs being native to our own island. This little guy is Greek by birth. A tiny endearing soul who is resident to Paphos in the south end of Cyprus. A tabby kitten , he was first seen huddled in the corner of the reception area of the Roman Hotel. This it seems quite strange for Cyprus. Cypriots do not respect cats like we do. This is probably borne out of the fact that there hasn't ever been the strict controls around to deter reproduction, which has lead to a widespread feral population which is uncared for, possibly spreading diseases, and generally causing a nuisance. Charities have sprung up in Cyprus to help care for the cats (See Cypriot Cats) and hopefully natives of the island will see beauty instead of vermin in time.

Max must have been very young (perhaps 6-8 weeks old) when he was spotted in the Roman. Some kind soul had obviously taken to him because he was forlornly wandering around with a makeshift piece of cardboard around his neck. On it was written: "My name is Max". He couldn't have found a safer place to be. Tourists will always go the extra mile even though they get funny looks from their hosts. In our country it would be considered the same as feeding a wild rat!

Wardie and Hubbard are owned by Judith and her 8 year old son Henry who live in Liverpool. Wardy was named after the rugby player Kevin Ward because apparently he is a bit of a"bruiser" .

They had a difficult early life. They came from the Cats Protection League aged 6 months.  They had been kept by a group of vetinary students who seemed to have considered them fair game as scientific subjects.  They had never been out of a cage when they were first brought to their new home, and they were terrified of everything.  It took 2 weeks to coax them out of their cage and years before they'd stop running away from anything human.  Hubbard was so named because he was only happy when hiding in or under cupboards (or up the chimney on occasion)!  Sadly Hubbard was killed by a car about 7 years ago.   Although Wardie's still timid with people he doesn't know, he's a closet lap-cat when there's someone he knows and trusts about.

Scully is a Jet black moggy who lives in Tucson Arizona USA with his owners Andy and Jenna. As you may expect she gets her name from the hugely popular American TV series "The X Files" I believe she was named by Sara-Joy, Andys daughter.

This here feline comes across as a bit of a street wise, tough little soul just like her namesake. Her environment is huge and dry-a desert; she sleeps in the garage (she'd probably be too hot too sleep in the house anyway); and she shares her home with a Basset Hound called Libby. Not that Libbys bothered one way or another. Especially about chasing cats. Much too hot for that kind of cavorting.

But the desert is a fantastic arena for her to hunt in. What a territory! Certainly saves on the Whiskas. Just watch out for those Scorpions.

Libby and Scully live with their owners in a massive one floor Spanish Villa. With this amount of room they can happily avoid each other.

Some Cats are scrappers, some tetchy, but sometimes you hear about a cat that stands out from the rest because of its calmness and dignity. Boots is a 10 year old tabby who lives in Hartlip, a picturesque village in Kent. He was named Boots because of the white flashes on all four feet.

Boots reminds me of a wise old country gent. Keeps to himself, wends his own way, does no harm to any other man or beast and silently makes it clear which is his territory. He lives with his owners Pauline and Barry in an end terraced house that overlooks a pear and apple orchard. Again rich pickings for a hunting cat. But he knows where the warm fire is in winter and always returns.