The yawning cat

Bernard Perrier's yawning cat in a recent edition (No.102)  of Constructor Quarterly made me smile and simple to build from common, modern parts.

My version of Bernard's cat

A long time ago we had a stray cat that decided to come and live with us. We subsequently discovered he had been removed from his mother too early and was not graced with all the traits that the other cats, we have 'waited on' over the years, had. For a start, he never did the standard stretch and yawn that most cats do, as the picture above, he did it the other way around with his head up and back legs stretched out behind him. 

Those of you who have been following our Meccano exploits for a while will remember our grey cat, Smokie.  We had him from a very young kitten and he was adopted by the older cat as if he was his own. The funny thing was that Smokie picked up some of the older cat's weird traits, including the unusual stretch!

Just to be different!

These little simple models are great fun to build, very easy to put together and instantly recognisable. If this (or something similar) was included in the modern manuals, of the bigger sets, perhaps we might not see so many sets being bought and discarded so quickly. Models like this give instant gratification and are recognisable to adults and children alike. Maybe something for the new owners of Meccano to consider... 

Ralph.