ABSTRACT
When I was a student I had three female cats who, on one occa sion, fell preg nant at the same time. Suddenly there were four teen kittens in the house that I shared with other students. Sadly, within less than a week cat flu reduced their number to one. I could not tell whether the surviv ing kitten was lucky or cursed to have three neur otic mother cats caring for her. Whenever she wanted to do anything-even just to walk down the passage-she had to run the gaunt let of their frus trated affec tion. The first mother licked her so hard that she was flattened to the floor. After she picked herself up, her fur matted and wet, she would be lucky to walk half a metre before the second and then the third mother cat did the same. Sometimes she was lucky to get away with just her triple-licking. At other times it started all over again with her first mother coming in again after the third had exhausted herself satis fy ing her mater nal urges. By this time the kitten looked as though she had been thrown in a pool of sticky fluid. She was not in good humour about it.
