With cat like tread

These adorable little people make your voice go high and your fingers twitch to pat or tickle them.

But don't be fooled. Because it is with cat like tread that I step around them. If there is an animal that most closely resembles my grand children, I would think cat.

I remind my husband of this when we pick up our grand daughter from school. As former cat owners, we can speak with some authority and first hand knowledge that cats have their own rules (number one rule being that they are definitely the head of the household).

Never pick up a cat and put the cat on your lap. My cat would almost immediately jump down, more often than not scratching me in her haste to leave. But sit on the couch in your best black evening wear and our little white furball would settle in for the long haul.

So too, does my grand daughter. Stand in front of her classroom and she will not come near. Instead we hover on the periphery, safe in tne knowledge that she will come to us when she wants to. Far be it for me to embarrass her or have her acknowledge that she has grandparents to any of her friends.

Safest to lurk around the corner, knowing that when she comes to you, she does it with a head full of school news and a happy chat about her day.

Our cat was also a bit on the fussy side. She only ate certain foods and liked her particular bowl, turned a certain way in a certain spot. She would also only drink from a running tap.

Hmm. The similarities just keep piling up.

My granddaughter's list of food dislikes is extensive, making the provision of afternoon tea a challenge, aiming as we do for something reasonably healthy (grandparent healthy is different to parent healthy), but unhealthy enough to make it appealing. Once we strike it lucky, we persist with the food of choice until the packet or the child runs out.

Her dripping tap is a water bottle which changes with the season and regularly goes on little forays around the school.

I return to rule number one with cats. And there, the evidence is solid. Because our cat grandchildren are kings and queens of our house. And I happily bow down to them. My lap awaits.