In fact, hippies have fallen into such short supply that Flip, a one-year-old cat who lives in a house on the Back Street in Yung Shue Wan, the island’s largest village, had never seen a bearded human.

Then recently, a tourist from Thailand came to visit Flip’s human guardians. Driven by catty curiosity, Flip spent a long time staring at the visitor. Much of the man’s face stayed hidden behind facial hair that looked much thicker than a cat’s fur. What could cause such a deformity?

Motivated by an enquiring mind, Flip moved nearer. He took an extra-close look and sniffed repeatedly. Several times, he reached out to touch “the human fur”, using one paw, then the other. How bristly! If he patted one side, would a mouse run out the other?

As Flip investigated, several humans in the room snickered, amused by his behavior. Being so busy, Flip didn’t care.

“Your cat’s making me self-conscious,” the visitor said.

“Sorry,” said one of Flip’s humans. “It’s just that not everyone wears enough facial hair to make a cat jealous.”

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