Cat-ie things

I live in a neighbourhood that has stray cats and dogs. These animals belong to no one in particular, but everybody feeds and waters them. A good friend of mine calls them little people in fur coats. The other day, while showering, out of the blue I thought about one of the cats that used to own us (remember we're talking cats and you don't own them, they own you). This cat was a very - unique - individual. He was smallish and very wiry, quite athletically built - even for a cat (and we've all seen the long, sleek athletes that run, jump and whatever), and very "tough". So much so that my son - his human (and the cat was a him), often said that if Raoul (yes spanish name for a very macho cat) was human, he'd have tatoos, piercings and a switchblade. Well, maybe. Raoul was certainly the epitome of macho maleness. His fur coat (what respectable cat turned human wouldn't have a fur coat?) had a definite pattern to it, which could - I suppose - pass as tatoos. As for piercings, he'd been in a number of fights staking his territory (how very masculine of him), so I'm sure he had a number of piercings, not to mention scars under his fir coat. The switchblade? Well he had five on each paw, so he had that under control. Unlike his brother, Raoul was very much the acrobat, balancing himself on thin fences walking along like a gymnast on a balance beam. His habits were very punk, tough guy and he was known to break into, and out of, other people's apartments looking for loot in the guise of hamsters, guinea pigs or other four footed rodent types. All this was very much in tune with his overall attitude towards life - his "I'm here, what you gonna do about it?" flare. Above and beyond this was his thing about food. I'm not talking about any ordinary food. I'm talking spicey. He had a real thing about chillie. The spicier the better. Now cats are usually pretty picky about what they eat (including the street cats here), but not Raoul. If the food had snap, he wanted it. The more he got the happier he was, except after he'd digested it. This very small cat could generate the biggest, smelliest farts imaginable. While we all know that humans are renowned for blaming the dog for smelling up the place when in fact it was us, there was no one in the house, human or otherwise, who could stink up the place better than Raoul. It's amazing how much smelly gas can come from such a small creature, but there you have it. What was worse was that not only did he have gas, but he had the temerity to share it with one and all. A great way to impress someone you're dating. Have a gassy cat sit on the furniture next to the potential love-of-your-life and let one loose. The 'visitor' will either stick around or bolt, but there will be no doubt where he/she stands - or sits - when it comes to a farting cat. Unfortunately Raoul came to an untimely, and we suspect violent, end. No surprises there given his very street punk attitude.
Why is all of this important? I have no idea, but it needed to be shared, so there it is.