My trusty "tracker" skills (I didn't read "Last of the Mohicans" and the Leatherstocking tales umpteen times for nothing) tell me a cat has passed this way...judging by the dryness of the mud and the clarity of the tracks I'd say not less than ten minutes ago, not more than a couple of hours....it was a sleek tabby with an intense interest in destroying cat toys, stalking bits of wool and demanding attention....and it answers to the name Asbo!