The back story of how Bop came to be my cat:

Hazel and Norman moved in next door around 19 year ago

They then got 3 kittens: Bee, Bop and Lula

The kittens lived in their garage.

Late one night I heard a terrible, shocking noise of an animal in distress, but thought it was a fox noise.

A lady knocked on my door and said 'I think I've run your cat over'.

I said it was probably next door's cat, as my own cats were indoors.

Hazel then came round the next day to tell me that she had put the kitten back in the garage overnight and took her to the vet the next day. The vet said Bee needed to be put to sleep asap as her face was completely smashed and there was nothing he could do about it.

I bawled my soddin' eyes out thinking about this tiny kitten, having been hit by a car and her face smashed in, being put back in the garage in immense pain for the whole night with two other kittens who may have been trying to play with her.

Why a kitten was even allowed out the front by a road was a mystery to me.

Nine years later, Hazel said they were going on holiday and asked me to look after the two remaining cats and I said I would.

The first day I went round to their house to feed them and to put their food in the garage and was appalled to see slug slime all over their dried food. 

I then made it known to the two cats - Bop and Lula - that they had to come round to my house to be fed, which they duly did.

Once Hazel and Norman came back from their holiday, Bop decided to move in with me. Hazel said that was ok because Bop and Lula didn't get on anyway.

Then, last October - after Bop had been living with me for 9 years - I realised she was poorly and miserable and decided it was time for her to be euthanized. She was 18 years old. Bop didn't 'live' anywhere except on the radiator or my desk during her last days. I asked Hazel to come round so I could ask her permission to have Bop euthanized and the first thing she said was "I'm not prepared to pay any vet's bills". I hadn't even intended to ask her that, I just wanted her permission to, basically, kill her cat. Then she said "You should try the PDSA because when it's Lula's turn to be put to sleep I'll have to pay again anyway."

In which case, why have 3 cats if you can't afford their end of life care?

So I paid almost £500 to have her cat put to sleep - I am living on a pension, and Labour had just taken away our winter fuel allowance.

So, yeah, if Norman thinks he should cut my lawn because it makes his garden look tatty to leave it, then so be it. 

Fill yer boots Norman. You guys owe me.