'My cat would show up at the door like a serial killer'

This week's columnist bestselling crime writer Karin Slaughter

- By Zoe West

I have two cats - Dexter and Grace. I did have three but Maggie passed away in November last year. I've loved all of them. Grace 66 is from a cattery and is such a sweet girl, but Dexter was a feral cat. He came into our lives about six months ago, visiting at the same time every day for food. I tried to get close to him but he was reluctant. He finally let me hold him, and from then on he'd show up at the door regularly, looking in like a serial killer. I hesitated to let him in because the other cats hated him and hissed at him but there was a night when there was a really bad storm. I was concerned, as we have coyotes in our neighbourhood. It was like a scene out of a romcom. I ran out into the storm and picked him up. Once I brought him in he never wanted to go outside again.

You have to earn a cat's respect, approach them on their own terms - and I've found if you do something stupid, they won't forgive you easily. Accidentally step on their toes and it will be a couple of weeks before they look at you without hate in their eyes.