Two of the cats behind 'Smith'

Meet Smudge and Gizmo, the two cats who allow me to cadge ideas off of them.

Smudge is the grand old lady sitting in the bean bag. Yes, she is the cat with a wall obsession in the cartoon strip. She's a delightful and loving cat but with soft fur and a purr that can cause interference to FM radio, but she definitely has to be the one in charge.

She's 14 years old now. She lost her brother Cholmondeley (pronounced Chumley, and also appearing in the strip) a couple of years ago, and needed someone new to boss about, so Gizmo arrived to fill the vacancy.

Gizmo's about five and spends most of his time ridding the world of the menace of feathers and newspapers. When not chasing inanimate objects he becomes The Most Pathetic Cat In The World.

More photos later.