They saw a mouse, the humans, nothing more

and laughed and pointed as I backed away, -

a mouse, look, holding Talisker at bay -

well, I was cornered, cut off from the door.

Ganesh leapt from its back onto the floor

and fixed me with a look as if to say -

one move and you'll not live another day -

and then he grew to seven feet or more.

At first I saw the body of a man

all turned to fat, but, light upon his feet,

he took to dancing. Then I saw the trunk.

The broken tusks. Four arms. - Task's in a funk -

the humans said - a mouse has got him beat -

They cannot see what sentient creatures can.

When Ganesha visits, he will be riding a mouse (or a rat - legends vary). You might not see him. You might not even see the mouse, but you will hear it. Your cat will see both, never fear.

Ganesha (Ganesh) is the remover of obstacles, a very popular Hindu deity. The second photo shows him dancing and this is a common representation. But the first photo is of an angry fighting Ganesa - this is the one Talisker (the cat) saw and, very reasonably, cowered away from. You don't believe me? But I was there.

(Both of these Ganesha bronzes are souvenirs I brought back from Mumbai some years ago. The dancing Ganesha stands about 12 inches tall and is beautifully crafted, but quite new. The fighting Ganesha is much cruder in the modelling and rather smaller, but is quite an old piece and, in my view, very energetic and expressive).