Nicky is our fourth cat, but the first one we've raised from a kitten, and we learned very quickly how much trouble a kitten can get into.  So when Pat heard a thud in the kitchen one afternoon, she knew from experience that she'd better find out what caused it.

   She found Nicky sitting next to a pot of herbs on the windowsill.  Her guess was that our little hunter (and Hunter truly is his middle name) had spotted a fly in the window, and had jumped onto the sill to track it down.  When the fly took cover in the herbs, Nicky must have followed it in.

   Pat deduced this from the rich scent of fresh oregano that covered our wee black kitten.  She told me later that when she picked him up, he smelled as though he belonged in a pot of spaghetti sauce.