Oh yes. 'My cats: a profile'.

This is Moo. Well, her real name is Jemima, which became Mimey, which became Moo, or Mookie Moo, which becomes on occasion Mickety Mimey Moo the Moo Cat. You know how it goes...

She is very dear, and sings very high. Her prize trick is to whoosh into the room, yell 'wheee', and fall over onto her side to play dead. Then you have to tickle her, at which she rolls onto her back, legs waving in the air.

And this is her sister, Amber. Good name for a black cat, no?

Moo is constant; Amber is flighty. I had to miss the London Book Fair in 2003 - just when we were thinking about starting Snowbooks - because Amber went missing for 3 days. I didn't sleep; Andy did an excellent job of putting up posters. A nice French man found her collar and phoned us; we went round to his area, yelled for her and a pitiful mew came from under an old mattress in a disused garage. She struggled over to see us - weak with hunger because cats can't look after themselves in the wild - and let me carry her all the way home. Little poppety lamb. And that is how I remember which month the London Book Fair is in.

In this photo she looks very plush, and goes well with the cushion. Good cat. And to think: if my little cat hadn't patiently waited to be found, and if we hadn't found her, I don't think I would have started Snowbooks. I wouldn't have had that sense of optimism and drive and excitement that got us started - it would have been a time of such sadness and I don't think you can have cheerful optimism if you're sad.

And, to end this profile, here is Moo's nose. Normal service will resume soon.