The noise, of course, is stressing the cats, who huddle unhappily around me. They have no idea that as soon as things are back to normal, they will face an even greater nightmare.

Yes, I'm getting a dog.

I've always wanted one, but when we lived in the flat, the manager wouldn't let me bring one in. Now that we live in our own house, I can add any animal to the zoo that I wish - with my vet's permission.

It is my vet, in fact, who has offered me one of her latest litter of puppies. Their mama is a shih-tzu, their dad a chihuahua, and the resulting pups are so cute that people fall immediately in love with them.

I know that I need a fairly young pup, say, three or four months old, so I can be sure that the dog will be able to adjust to the cats. In addition, I know that the pup should be a female. Cats, I understand, are more likely to accept a female than a male.

My vet knows of cats who started spraying when a male pup was brought into their household, and I'd really like to avoid the resulting stress.

Please don't tell me how your cats of many years immediately accepted your new male dog, and today, they're all best friends. It can happen. I'd just like to make sure. I wouldn't be happy if the cats were unhappy.

I think about this little dog a lot. In this column, you've met her grandmama, Khunming, a lovely chihuahua with the gentlest of temperaments. You've also met two of this pup's cousins, friendly, gentle, loving little dogs who have a charm all their own.

I'm almost sure that none of these pups would ever harm the cats. In addition, they appear to be less vocal than other breeds, not annoyingly yappy and nervous.

In my mind dance pictures of giving the little dog her own personal cage, which she could claim as her own. I would also give her a straw basket, so that she could travel around town with me. In anticipation, I smile at my boy Yoyo, who gazes back at me, then turns and pounces on my elderly cat Susu, who's sleeping on the bed. In his little cat brain, he's decided that she doesn't belong there. Despite all the protection I give Susu, Yoyo prevails. He cannot be deterred from driving her away.

Suddenly, another picture takes hold of my mind, a little dog huddled miserably in a cage, frightened by a determined cat. The pup will never weigh much more than one kilo, while all the cats are at least four. She would have no way of defending herself against a determined feline with foul play on his mind.

This image stays in my mind. With regret, I turn down my vet's kind offer.

Somewhere, there's a dog out there big enough to defend herself, small enough for a townhouse and clever enough to deal with cats.

By Laurie Rosenthal

Questions about your pets? Fax (02) 751 4446 or e-mail laurie@nationgroup.com.