January – February 2016

Murray and Bonnie

Murray and Bonnie were 5 month old kittens that had been adopted after being found, together with their siblings, abandoned outside a neighbour’s door. The neighbour had kept the siblings and Bonnie and Murray came to live with here. Like all kittens, they were curious about anything and everything, and bursting at the seams with energy; it was as much fun to be and play with them as it was hard to tire them out!

Bonnie was a tiny little thing with the most beautiful little face and soft long fur. She enjoyed chasing moving objects on the TV, it was quite a challenge to watch a movie with her in the room, but so entertaining to watch! When things disappeared off the edge, she would go looking for them behind the screen – so, so cute.

She enjoyed getting her long hair brushed, and if she saw we were brushing one of the ragdolls she would come over and patiently wait her turn.

She was light as a feather but she was quick! She loved chasing the mouse toy in particular and was very accurate when she launched herself at it to make the catch, be it on the ground or jumping high in the air. And boy, could she jump or what!

Murray was a boisterous boy who was starting to show, let’s say, “teenager traits”. Getting into a scramble with his sister and Angus in particular for no apparent reason, annoying them so he would get what he wanted – be it food, a particular toy, or a bed. We think he was just trying to assert his position as the boss and the dominant cat in the household.

And then, he had moments of tenderness where he would cuddle up with them and be a total softie.

He was particularly curious about new things and would be the first one on the scene if he got a whiff of anything remotely interesting happening, whether we were changing the bed sheets, cleaning the litter tray, or simply brushing our teeth!

He favoured the feather toy and would chase it until he was totally out of breath. He loved exploring the big outdoors too; he was more of a climber than a jumper and the two trees in the garden offering a perfect opportunity to perfect his skills.

Angus, Fergus and Merida

These 3 siblings had the most gorgeous, soft fur you can imagine. Incredible placid by nature, they had a certain bewildered look whenever the little ones were around – we think they found their boisterousness was a bit too much to handle, but they were so patient with them!

Angus was the biggest of them all, a big softie with a friendly, laid back and loving nature.  He loved sleeping on the sofa whilst leaning on us (and occasionally would jump on any available lap) and was perfectly happy to let you stroke him anywhere you liked, including his belly which he would happily present if you went anywhere near it.

He was so placid you could work on the knots in his fur (and it got matted pretty quickly!) whilst he slept away, without a complaint or even a flinch.

He was a lovely companion and very sweet with the little ones, and his confident demeanour around us would prove very useful, as we used him as a “bridge” to bring us closer to his more reserved siblings. He suffered from asthma and had to be monitored and take regular medication in the form of tablets, which he took without any trouble.

If we had to describe Merida in human terms, you’d say she resembled a classic, glamorous Hollywood film star. She always looked so pretty and well groomed, with a beautiful poise and elegance. It was difficult to look away from her delicate face and her piercing blue eyes.

She approached us with caution at first, and mostly kept her distance for a few days. We made sure she was looking when we interacted with Angus or the kittens, and she soon learnt we were safe and it didn’t take long for her to take pride of place on the desk where I was working, or come looking for us in the lounge in the evenings.

She wouldn’t say no to neck scratches either, and before we knew it she started to give the kittens a run for their money when it came to playing!

Fergus was our biggest challenge to date. When they brought him in to meet us, he took one look at us and ran away as if his life depended on it. Our hosts were quite visibly worried about him and we could see why, although at the time we didn’t realise just how big the challenge would be.

Fergus’s fear of strangers really was off the charts and far more severe than anything we had ever experienced before, not even during the 14 months we volunteered at the SPCA. Thankfully, we had a few weeks with them and we were confident we could get him to come out of his shell.

It would take every ounce of patience and more than a few tricks, but when he finally started to show progress, it was magical. I am writing a separate entry for him and will share the link here when it’s ready!

July – August 2015

We had a lot of fun looking after this adorable trio over 7 weeks.  Without meaning to devalue the fond memories we have of our other assignments (indeed, we have been very fortunate to meet wonderful people and pets half way around the world), the truth is that this became our favourite house & pet sitting experience, and still remains so to this day.

We fell in love with the city and became good friends with our hosts, who went to incredible lengths to make us feel welcome.  We have been fortunate enough to return two more times and hope to return many more in the future.

Gorgeous, adorable Bafana. A ginger cuddle monster who would jump on a chair to greet you and rub noses the moment you walked in.

He would get grumpy with the twins, particularly when they tried to steal his food, but couldn’t be sweeter with his human friends. He would look up every time you called his name and reply with the sweetest “meow”. And when he looked at you with his big green eyes, you couldn’t help but love him.

As a senior cat with some health issues, he wasn’t particularly playful, but he allowed us to put drops in his ears and cream on his chin without fuss or complaints.

He enjoyed having brushing sessions whilst lying down, spending lazy afternoons on a shady spot in the garden when the temperature went up, getting a good amount of cheek rubs at any time of the day, and following you everywhere when he was awake. And I really mean everywhere!

Sadly, barely a month after we left, he was diagnosed with an inoperable mouth tumour and he had to be put to sleep. I cried for 3 days every time I thought of him and remembered the many sweet moments we had shared together! R.I.P. sweet Bafana, we’ll never forget you!

Mukiwa is technically a Colorpoint Shorthair, a man-made breed derived from the Siamese. Although different in appearance, the breed’s main character traits remain: they are said to be highly intelligent, inquisitive, affectionate and very vocal. And boy, Mukiwa was vocal!

If he wanted something, you can rest assured he would let you know… loudly and repeatedly!  You would sometimes hear him calling from the top floor with a loud, long “meeeeeeooooooowwwwww”, as if asking “where is everybody??”; and the moment you answered his calls, he would come running downstairs to meet you wherever you were.

When it was time to eat, he would helpfully tap the kitchen cabinet door to tell you exactly where the food was (whilst meowing loudly, of course!). And when he wanted some attention, he would tap your arm and… yep, you guessed it,  meow loudly if you didn’t immediately obliged. We really had some very interesting conversations with him!

He was such a character and so much fun to be with. He usually followed his brother Pafuri around and it was just so cute to see them interacting together – playing, exploring, sleeping together and grooming each other. If we wasn’t following his brother, he was following me!

Pafuri is an Oriental Shorthair with a beautifully shiny black coat, an insatiable curiosity and a seemingly overwhelming need to know what you are up to at all times. He was my little supervisor and followed me around as if wanting to ensure I was doing things right, be it hanging the laundry, filling up the dishwasher, or watering the plants.

Initially he had been terrified of us, as he is of every new person he meets – in fact, all it took was the sound of the doorbell to make him jump out of his skin, run out through the garden door, and disappear into the neighbours’ garden for a couple of hours.

Thankfully, his very inquisitive nature made it relatively easy to earn his trust, as he loved playing and could never resist a game of “hide and chase”. From playing fetch with a stuffed toy elephant, to chasing bugs or playing with a long blade of grass in the garden, pretty much anything could be turned into a toy to keep him entertained.

We loved watching him and his brother Mukiwa interacting together, it often seemed that they were somehow conspiring to get up to some sort of mischief. Their sometimes naughty but always sweet character was as heartwarming as it was entertaining to watch, and we didn’t have a boring moment with them!

June 2015

We looked after this wonderfully varied trio for 10 days. Although very different in age and looks, they all had one thing in common – they were all incredibly friendly and affectionate.

By the time we got to the house in the evening, they had been alone all day, as our hosts had left in the morning. When we walked through the door, their reaction was “at last, someone’s here to feed and cuddle us!” rather than “who are you, and what are you doing in my house?”. They certainly knew how to make us feel welcome!

As a typical oriental, Kali was vocal and determined. We couldn’t get over how confident and affectionate she was!  As we arrived at the house late in the evening, she made it clear she wanted her dinner.

So I sat down and got the laptop out to go over the feeding instructions we had been given… I had hardly opened it up when she was already making herself comfortable and pushing it out of her way!

As the youngest cat in the household, she was full of energy… and even though we tried to satisfy her need for hunting things with various games (including making a toy for her which she loved chasing), that still didn’t stop her from gifting us with 2 live mice which she released in the kitchen for us (and which we released back into nature, well away from the house).

She followed us around the house and was great fun to be with, and she certainly kept us on our toes for the entire duration of our stay. And wasn’t she photogenic!

Lucy was a sweet 20 year old grandma with huge brown eyes who would sit next to you and give you a long stare until you stopped whatever you were doing and gave her some attention.

She was a frail little thing who had some difficulty walking, and sometimes needed some help to jump onto the sofa where she went looking for cuddles. Lucy gravitated towards Mark, and didn’t really care if there was another cat or a laptop on her way. Work? What work?

She shed an incredible amount of hair but was happy being brushed to help with that, provided we did it gently, particularly around her hips that seemed to be giving her some trouble. She was also having difficulty using the litter tray and missed it 9 times out of 10. We suspect she was suffering from age related arthritis or other degenerative joint affliction.

She still enjoyed going for little walks in the garden when it was sunny though, and having a good sniff around before coming back inside for the next snooze of the day.

Jimmy was a big, muscular ginger boy who loved spending time out and about, rain or shine. When we first met him, he wasn’t in the best shape. His right eye was clearly swollen and we feared he had been in a fight. The scars on his face told us this probably wasn’t an isolated incident.

Indeed, he got into scuffles with some frequency, so they had a small supply of antibiotics at home. Over the next few days we gave him 2 daily pills and made sure the wound remained clean and disinfected.

He was a very good patient and allowed us to do what we needed to do without resisting too much. By the end of our stay, the only visible sign left was a tiny scab and a bold patch on his forehead.

Needless to say, along with the antibiotics and the topical antiseptic treatment, he got lots of extra cuddles whenever he wanted them. He was a real softie who loved being fussed over and was a true gentleman when it came to dealing with the girls in the house.

He seemed particularly fond of Lucy, and would often have his afternoon naps next to her, allowing her to groom him when she felt maternal. In the evenings, he came looking for any available lap space and waited patiently for one to become available if the girls had beaten him to it.

Some days he had to admit defeat and just sit next to us on the sofa, where he still got plenty of attention!

April 2015

When we arrived in Paris to look after Pacha (Birman) and Virus (black), and Pacha hid under the bed, despite being confident around us, we assumed that Virus was bossing him around and we needed to help Pacha get his self confidence up a bit.

But kind of by accident we found out that Pacha was not at home, as he in fact belonged to our hostess’s mother. So the poor thing had been taken into an unfamiliar environment which was another cat’s territory, and left with 2 strange humans. No wonder he was stressed!

Luckily it didn’t take him long to come round, he was as sweet as he was soft and fluffy! He enjoyed chasing a ball around the house and chilling on the sofa with us in the evenings, whilst Virus preferred to spend time alone in the garden and come for some human attention in the afternoons.

They basically just avoided each other as much as possible, including taking it in turns to go outside. It rained pretty much every day of the 10 days we were with them, so they did spend a lot of time indoors.

But they both absolutely loved going into the garden when the rain stopped, investigating every inch, smelling every plant, chasing after bugs and nibbling on some tasty grass.