By Dee/Gowerstreet
The first rule of working from home under the gaze of a Feline Dictator is that All Surfaces Belong To Her. No matter that there is an acre of sofa and two beds upstairs on which she could sprawl, not to mention the puddle of sunlight on the rug.
If I am at the computer, She Who Rules will pay a visit to hunt out spelling mistakes. The funniest part is when I am using the transcription software on my laptop. If we are the only beings in the house, I simply cannot be talking to the empty air – I must be in need of her attention, even if it means her sprinting up the stairs, along the landing, and launching herself between me and the glowing screen.
The phrase “Friday, get off my keyboard!” has appeared in the most inopportune of places, much to the amusement of Jen and Trudy, my beta readers. All work has to cease whilst she ensures that all is in fact well and that I can be trusted to work alone once more. Until she gets bored of watching the sparrows, or is in need of another tuna infusion…
But I wouldn’t be without her. Her fearless curiosity and visible intelligence charmed even my cat-cautious husband. The moment we actually met, she climbed out of my arms and across his bemused shoulders, completely unafraid of this giant human.
A week after she came home with us, I found her sprawled along the length of his legs while they watched Star Trek together. She has developed quite a taste for intelligent entertainment, especially those with consulting detectives and their ex-army doctors, which we still watch as a household from time to time.
Books decorate and illuminate a house, but a cat truly makes it a home.
Especially one with a discerning taste in narrative arcs.
Gowerstreet writes fanfiction in multiple fandoms, and you can find her stories on AO3.