I’ve had a new regular tic for the last few weeks: “What about cats?”

Unusually it’s been really irritating me. I don’t normally notice my own tics, particularly regular ones. They quickly become background noise – a constant, gentle reminder that I’m still alive.

But this one’s different. I notice it and feel a ripple of annoyance with myself every time I say it. Sometimes I even respond with an automatic ‘Oh shut up!’

I think I’m noticing this tic and feeling frustrated by it more than usual because it’s a question, and there’s something in the way I say it that pierces my consciousness and interrupts my thoughts.

My friends are finding my irritation amusing but baffling. I suppose that’s because for them, being asked strange questions about animals is pretty standard.

“Do you think a penguin could be a disco ball if it tried hard enough?”
“Do the Canine Defence League take squirrels?”
“Are 100 dogs worth more than cows?”
“Are you cubically dog?”
“Did you do a BTEC in performing bears?”