At twelve years of age, Desmond (Dez for short) holds the rank of Old Man Cat in our clowder. If you look up ‘fraidy cat’ in the dictionary, you’ll probably find Dez’s picture. Even after being with us since he was approximately five weeks old, Dez is yet to be convinced that we don’t have some sort of nefarious plans for him. He has come out of his shell more since our move to The Cabin four years ago that I ever thought he would. I’m always glad when he decides to be personable and seeks attention – even when he forgets to pull in his tongue.