I have a cat

(or a cat has me)

a furry cat a very purry cat

when on my lap it's sat

independent it is

(egotistical too)

yet demands attention

(self-centred through and through)

and when well-fed its purr

(a four-stroke motor)

is full of condescension

when behind its ears you scratch

(it's expected of you)

you may believe you heard

“Meow, meow, meow”

(sorry, here's the catch)

what it really said is

“Me now, me now, ME now”

and, as goldfish swims in bowl,

cat looks on with danger fraught

thinking, 'So near yet so far,

this fish is food for thought.'