Apparently, there is a book about a cat named Mortimer, though for the life of me I can’t google it. My brother got a wee little frail cat and named it after the cat in the book, only to discover on a trip to the vet that his new cat was female. So, his Mortimer is a girl. And she is a very pretty little thing.

But Mortimer is also fierce, displaying the personality of a tiger to go with her stripes. She intimidates the dog, who is perhaps 60 pounds heavier. Another cat , Figg, came to visit for Christmas, who is much larger, but there were many spirited discussions between them about appropriate behavior, in which Mortimer held her own.

And she was so stressed by all this that any attempts to pet her were an exhibition in bi-polar behavior, rubbing the furniture to invite you in, then hissing and swiping to drive you away. It was many days before I managed to get a photo. I found her curled up at the feet of her human, late in the evening. She was comfortable enough to let me approach with my phone, but I dared not mess with the lighting, lest I break the mood.

Always take an insurance shot of the scene as you find it, from the position you are in. Only then try and get closer, add light, or do anything else to improve the photo.