We had a cat in Africa.

Socks used to rid our house of crickets and Parktown prawns. She caught the horrible beasts and devoured them. And to show her prowess and diligence, she would always leave a leg, lying in the middle of the kitchen floor.

I took down the Christmas decorations on Monday night. We have glass baubles and stars made of straw and many wooden figurines. Now I can’t find one of the little figures, a white carousel horse with black mane and flying black hooves. This morning I was greeted with a little white wooden leg with a black hoof lying in the middle of our kitchen floor.

And I wonder …