Well, Readers, we’ve been looking after Abbie, our fourteen year-old shy foster cat, for nearly two weeks now, and she’s certainly making progress! We’ve been leaving the door of ‘her’ room open so she can wander about and explore at leisure, and for the first two days she continued to hide behind the litter tray, though she did come out to say hello if I sat on the floor.

She sometimes seems desperate for attention, head-butting and miaowing, but as soon as she hears my husband move she’s off, and even though he’s the one who usually feeds her, her response to him is a hiss. We suspect that, as she’s lived with a single lady for most of her life, she’s probably not had much to do with men, but the hisses seem to be getting a little more half-hearted, so fingers crossed.

Then, a few days ago she wandered down to the living room while we were both watching television, and even came up on the sofa beside me. She gave John’s foot a sniff – he’s obviously less scary when sitting down – and then went back upstairs again.

She always comes in for a chat if I’m sitting on the loo. This seems to be a ‘cat thing’. If the door is ajar, she peers through the gap.

She really is a queen amongst cats, such a magnificent creature – she’s quite happy to be brushed (on her own terms) and her fur is silky-soft. Such a pretty girl!

In a week or so she needs her second vaccination and a bit of dental work, and then she’ll be up for adoption, so fingers crossed that she continues to make progress. She’ll be the perfect cat for someone with a quiet home, who likes an unassuming housemate.