We have a new cat around the place. He’s a kitten, and his name is Basil Pesto. We call him “Pesto” most of the time. And “Scoot.” And “Weasel.” You know how it is with cats. Pesto was an unplanned cat, but we love him. He is a gray tabby who comes from a long line of cats. I have read that if dogs were allowed to breed indiscriminately (or as they see fit), the ultimate result would be a population of brown, medium-sized, shorthaired dogs. I do happen to know that a telling number of dogs in rural Portugal look like that. I think I remember reading that in the case of cats the result would be a gray tabby. Pesto, the ultimate cat.