Question Author
Thanks, Anne.
Lady-J:
Strays tend to become residents in my house. Patches walked through my cat flap in mid-October and calmly helped herself to a meal. I'd never seen her before. (She wasn't the least bit worried about being out of her natural territory, or by having me around). Later the same day I was sitting at my desk and I suddenly felt a cat land on my lap. It was Patches again, who simply fell fast asleep. That night she jumped on my bed and slept alongside me all night. She's been here ever since! (I've looked everywhere for 'missing cat' posters and asked neighbours if anyone recognises her but nobody knows where she came from).
However she can't totally rule the roost because there are other feline visitors who've been around much longer. The other night Patches was only one of three cats sleeping in my bedroom! (The others belong to neighbours without cat flaps!).