Earl

This is the cat of one of my mother's neighbours. Earl is a beautiful shade of grey and has thick soft fur. He's a strong cat and has a loud purr like a small engine. He's always been a very outdoorsy cat, friendly towards women, less so towards men and while happy to be stroked, not keen on being picked up or on spending too much time in one place. He's mellowed a bit in old age and during this visit spent quite some time with us while his owners were away. He even stayed the night on a rug in the hallway!

I'm very fond of him and this time was honoured with him on my lap for awhile - he's definitely gone soft :)