A cat on wheels in Whitechapel

As I was on my way back to Spitalfields after chatting with Tyrone at the Genesis Cinema, I came across Oscar the Russian Blue outside Budgens in Whitechapel while his owner had stepped inside to get a few things. Never before have I seen a cat in a buggy like this, but it was a miserable wet day and as I stood shivering in my damp clothes, I could not help thinking that Oscar looked quite comfortable in his red Santa suit trimmed with white – lounging there in a decorated carriage like an over-indulged Turkish sultan. After a few moments, Anne Smith, his adoring owner, came out of the shop and we enjoyed a brief conversation as we made our way together through Whitechapel Market. That is when I learnt he is a thoroughbred and she explained that he got his name, Oscar, because it was apparent early on that he was a natural winner. A piece of logic which I could hardly contradict from the visible facts. Then she asked me the name of my cat, Mr Pussy, and when I told her she shivered with disappointment, stopping in her tracks. “Oh poor thing!” she exclaimed, “Couldn’t you think of anything better than that?” Chastened by her remark, I did not know how to reply. So to cover the silence, Anne told me of her other cat Cruella, equally named for its natural tendency and which she had wisely left at home.