Sir Reginald Fluffington III

~*~ a home page for a very good cat ~*~

Reggie's favourite things

My sister maintains that you cannot rank a cat's preferences because a cat does not rank them itself. I maintain that four and a half years of daily observation counts for something. These lists are the result of that disagreement, and I have shown my reasoning in each case so that readers may judge for themselves.

Napping spots, in order

  1. The airing cupboard, second shelf. Unbeatable and he knows it. Warm from underneath, dark, and smells of towels. The door does not latch properly, which he worked out in 1995 and has never forgotten — the only thing on this page that argues for intelligence.
  2. The 3 p.m. sunbeam in the hallway. Seasonal and therefore ranked second, since a spot you can only use for part of the year cannot take the title.
  3. Whichever box is newest. Strictly the newest. A box that has been in the house a fortnight is furniture.
  4. The left arm of the couch. Never the right. I have tried putting his blanket on the right arm and he sat beside it on the floor, looking at me.
  5. On the ironing, if the ironing is out. Ranked last because it is opportunistic rather than considered, but the enthusiasm is undeniable.

Foods, in order

Ranked by observed response, November 1998
Rank Food Evidence
1 Tasty cheese Has a dedicated sound for the drawer opening. Can distinguish it from the drawer above it, which contains foil.
2 Roast chicken skin Appears in the kitchen the moment the oven door opens, from anywhere in the house.
3 The water from a tin of tuna Prefers the water to the tuna. I have stopped trying to understand this.
4 Whiskas, beef Eats it. Does not celebrate it. The rank reflects that.
5 Butter, from the dish, when nobody is looking Twice confirmed. Denied both times.

Toys, in order

  1. A bottle cap. Free, and better than everything I have bought him. He has three and keeps them under the fridge, and every few weeks one reappears.
  2. The pull string from the venetian blind. Not a toy. Ranked anyway.
  3. A ping-pong ball in the empty bath. The acoustics are the point. He has never once played with it outside the bath.
  4. The felt mouse with the bell, $6.95. Included for completeness. It has been in the same spot beneath the hall table since Christmas 1996.

Sounds he objects to

  • The vacuum cleaner — a reasonable position, reasonably held
  • The bin lorry, Tuesdays, freshly outrageous each week
  • Whistling, but only mine, and only when I am cheerful about something
  • The modem connecting, which is how he knows I am about to stop paying attention

The photographs on the photo album page show items 1 and 2 from the napping list. If you disagree with any of these rankings I would genuinely like to hear about it — several people already have, in the guestbook.