This morning I was walking little Puk, who is not quite so little anymore. We do not go very far of late, because of the cold. We passed by a garden laden with topiary, but precious little else. Even the ground underneath the box shapes was completely covered with gravel. The owners must have been very afraid that some wayward weeds would dare to rear their ugly heads. Puk started barking. He does that a lot now, clearly he is enjoying the power of his growing voice. It turned out, he had good reason to bark though. I heard a very high, almost inaudible, beeping sound and saw a little blue light from underneath the topiary. Clearly, it was some kind of cat repellent device. There were also sataysticks pointing out around every bush.

It does not bother me that people would try to keep out cats this way. Cats here usually have owners, and they are very welcome anywhere else. Their visits must be extremely annoying to someone who dislikes them. There are heated debates all over the internet about the freedom of cats to roam anywhere they please. As a dog owner, but also a servant of two cats, and a bird lover, I really cannot take sides in this debate.

The cat repellent device, however, is criminal. It must bother wildlife like birds and hedgehogs, who have very sensitive hearing too. Pity though, I do not think people like that know what they are missing. Their garden could give life to other creatures, instead of giving enjoyment to themselves alone. Live a little, I say, and let others live too.