Five Cats

From the composer:

"These miniatures are descriptions in sound of the five cats whom my husband and I served over the years. The five were very different in personality, and of course we gave them quite silly names.

Caccini: Big, strong, white and fluffy, Caccini was boss of the entire suburb. He was frequently found by various neighbours comfortably ensconced on their best lounge chairs, as if he owned them. When we had guests he loved to make a grand entrance, his usually pristine white fur invariably sporting a stripe of oil from the underside of someone's car, or his whiskers festooned with spider webs.

Isabella: Izzy was a posh, pedigree black smoke persian, her long grey fur with black tips contrasted strikingly with her enormous orange eyes. Her intense gaze was enough to frighten music students who hadn't practised, but she was totally benign and just wanted to be admired. Izzy was totally scatterbrained and accident prone, regularly falling out of trees, tripping up the back steps, and unable to catch a thing. Her stalking was exemplary, her patience waiting to pounce was, well, somewhat excessive.

Cabbage: Tortoiseshell cats are renowned for being neurotic, and Cabbage was no exception. She was very affectionate with my husband and me, but got spooked if anyone else came inside. When visitors were around she was in a constant state of indecision, she really felt she should run away and hide, but her curiosity had her peeping around corners and spying from under the furniture.

Miiw: Miiw was a sad little cat, another tortoiseshell. She had been abandoned in a box with her siblings on the doorstep of the vet at only four weeks of age, so she never really learned how to behave and always played with claws and teeth at full strength. She was so timid, hated visitors, and became a quivering mess during thunderstorms. On the other hand, this tiny cat could intimidate other cats and large dogs who ventured into her territory. She was a one person cat, trusted only me, and insisted on sitting on my lap - all the time!

Hyacinth: After spending her first two weeks with us behind the piano, Hyacinth, a gorgeous Somali, became the most overwhelmingly friendly, gregarious, purry cat I have ever met. She would trot along after us everywhere, was most helpful in the garden sitting on whatever work was being done, and made an attentive supervisor for any work out in the paddock. Unfortunately, she. was also a very good hunter, her favourite prey being juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes, resulting in three hospital stays and a shortened lifespan."