Dosti, Formerly Known As Ginger Impinger

Cat Tales of TW8 - the search for THE Brentford Cat

Dosti

In order to be The Brentford Cat, one must know Brentford inside out. And I doubt if any cat knows Brentford better than Dosti, who has pitter-pattered most of its paths during his life as a stray.

Dosti used to be known locally as Ginger Impinger on account of, well, his gingerness, and his tendency to wander into places that he had no business being. For a while we weren’t even aware that he was a stray because he was in pristine condition, with spotlessly-clean fur and, at times, a collar. But there were two very clear pieces of evidence that he didn’t have a family, or, at least, not one that cared enough. I won’t go into detail about what they were, but let’s just say that they were visible from the rear when he raised his tail.

He was a regular visitor to our house, although we didn’t mind too much because he was nice to our cat, Louis Catorze, and never appeared to want any trouble. In fact, he and Louis Catorze got on very well and were the best of friends. Last summer, during the time of the Perseid meteor shower, we were wondering where on earth Louis Catorze was because we hadn’t seen him all morning. Then the pair of them rolled in like teenagers after a night out, chatting animatedly between themselves (and dispelling the common belief that cats only meow for humans’ benefit). Whilst I like to imagine them touring the town, sharing a cheeky single malt and then finding a viewing platform somewhere and watching the stars together, I expect that, in reality, they just lay around in Brentford School For Girls’ playground, ate a few bugs and fell asleep.

After a number of neighbours across Brentford expressed concern at Dosti’s widespread wandering - he was seen from Brook Road South to Albany Road to Clifden Road and probably far more places of which I’m not aware - he was finally trapped with the help of the wonderful Hounslow Animal Welfare Society. After a few days under house arrest, being snipped and chipped, he was lucky enough to find a lovely home with his new mamma and a new sister-kitty, Cupcake. His auntie-kitty, Cariad, lives just next door, so Dosti, who is clearly a sociable and extrovert chap, is not short of feline company when he wants it, even if his sister and auntie don’t. Sometimes, they don’t share his boisterous play moods, as the scar on his nose demonstrates.

Despite having a wonderful home and family, like a lion who never really loses his animal instinct Dosti hasn’t wholly lost his desire to roam, and his wandering paws occasionally take him further than his mamma would like. I still see him in the St Paul’s recreation ground area from time to time, striding purposefully as if he has some urgent appointment. Sadly, his friendship with Louis Catorze seems to have faded away, as he never visits our house anymore, and this is a great pity as Louis Catorze enjoyed his company and doesn’t really have any other friends. We often catch him gazing out through the window and wonder if he is waiting for his buddy to stop by, but Dosti probably has Highly Important Brentford Cat Business to attend to.

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Cat Mamma of TW8

If you know of any other magnificent cats of TW8 who may be worthy of the lofty position of The Brentford Cat, I would love to hear from you.

March 27, 2018