His Sudden Burst of Speed

Neville is getting up in years. Officially thirteen and a half years old, he has progressed into seniority from middle age. He moves slowly for the most part, and prefers the sedentary life. He also prefers to be left alone.

These two characteristics, the desire to avoid the other cats in the Cosy Apartment, and the torpid movement, are sometimes at odds. Nev will now and then walk rapidly, even run, to get away from his feline roommates, usually Hector or Zofia. This weekend saw a more energetic application of this policy. Not having been able to record the event, I will re-create it through my illustrative skills.

Neville was lying behind an armchair in the sitting room. His usual place was at the top of the taller cat tree, though he sometimes settled on the top of the lower. However, that spot was occupied by the inoffensive Horace.

Quite suddenly, the Nevsky threw himself into a burst of speed. He ran from behind the farther armchair, bounced off the nearer armchair to the second platform of the lower cat-tree, briefly landing next to Horace, who didn’t have time to register the intrusion before Neville was shooting past him to the taller cat-tree, where he came to rest in his accustomed spot.

I don’t know if such exertion cost my bulky grey flyer much joint pain, or if he felt it in his muscles afterward. But he seems to have been gratified by the results, safe in his high perch. There he could return to his normal: preferring the sedentary life, and being left alone.