A ginger tom from the neighbourhood came to assist me with an unexpected security inspection today.

Naturally, this involved enormous tails, several firm hisses and a considerable amount of highly professional staring. My humans appeared concerned, but they do not always understand advanced feline diplomacy.

Allow me to reassure everyone that this was completely normal.

The tom had entered my territory and therefore required a clear explanation of the household hierarchy. I delivered this explanation personally, with excellent posture and a tail approximately three times its usual size.

There was no panic.

There was no loss of control.

There was merely a formal boundary meeting between two senior cats, one of whom had temporarily forgotten that I am in charge.

He now knows his place.

Afterwards, I spent roughly an hour and a half walking through the room, checking every corner and sniffing absolutely everything. This was not nervousness. It was a full post-incident security audit.

A responsible ruler must ensure that no ginger influence remains hidden behind a chair, beneath a table or near the curtains.

The room has now been declared safe.

My authority remains intact.

The tom has been appropriately briefed.

And my humans have earned several continuing education points in the subject of perfectly normal cat behaviour.

Yours, Mrs. Cotton 🐱🐾