Celebrity Cats.

If you want to see beautiful movement, then look at a cat!" says Pilates guru Lynne Robinson. And Lynne should know. She is the world's best-selling Pilates teacher and instructor to the stars, Pat Cash and Liz Hurley among them. When she isn't rushing around organizing photo shoots to promote her latest Pilates video and DVD 'Shape up the Pilates way', Lynne likes nothing better than relaxing at home in Kent with her four cats - Ginger, Fudge, Livingstone and Kossie.

"Cats have always been part of my life," she says. "When I was about six I visited a friend after school and arrived home with a kitten! Mum wasn't best pleased, but allowed me to keep her. We called her Trixie and I can remember dressing her in dolls' bonnets and taking her for walks.

"When I married, my husband's work took us all over the world and involved nine house moves in seven years. The cats came too. We had Mrs T. who came to live in Holland with us but she, sadly, was killed by a dog. We were living in a farmhouse on the edge of cornfields. It was overrun with mice and I was going frantic trying to get rid of them. I asked our vet if she knew of any kittens, and she came up with two, whom we named Fred and Ginger. They proved to be wonderful mousers and our kitchen looked like 'The killing fields' for a time, until the mice learned to stay away."

When Lynne's husband job took the family to the other side of the world, Fred and Ginger came too.
"Unfortunately, it was before the era of pet passports. That meant nine months of quarantine - six in England and then three in Australia. It was heartbreaking putting them onto the plane. We had relatives in England who were able to visit them in quarantine for a once-a week cuddle. Eventually they joined us in Sydney - they ignored us when they first came home but then they went mad!
"While we were in Australia, Fred died. We were never quite sure if it was an accident or if he was poisoned. However, Ginger enjoyed life down under and made a specialty of chasing geckos. We were in Australia for two years and when we came back to Britain Ginger had to go into quarantine again, even though Australia is a rabies-free country.

No sooner had she got back to England, than an argument with a car led to her having to have her jaw wired. "She was left with a tongue that hangs out," says Lynne. "She's not very good at crunching so we feed her on soft food."

The next 'cat-astrophe' was when Lynne and family received a phone call when they were on holiday. Ginger had been left in the cattery with a swollen paw which had become much worse. Lynne and her husband agreed that part of the paw should be amputated. "Ginger is a real survivor," says Lynne proudly. "She is 14 now and completely fearless." Lynne and her family were soon joined by three more cats. Lynne explains: "Our second cat, Fudge, actually belonged to the family who lived in our house before us. They took her with them when they moved but we heard she had gone missing. Two months later she turned up here, head butting the door.

"Later we got Livingstone, a big tabby boy with long legs who is always in trouble, and Kossie, named after an Australian mountain, who is a tabby and white couch potato. They all get on pretty well but Ginger is top cat. " Lynne believes that her cats have taught her and her family about life.
"We were all devastated when we lost Mrs T. and Fred, but even the bereavement process is necessary. We have to learn to let go of those we love and realize that it's part of the cycle of life.
"Cats' characters are all so individual and I believe they come into your life for a reason. You don't choose cats, they choose you - and that's a good feeling!" .