Last night, I sat down to put together a post on my Japan trip…
and realised I have approximately 3000 photos.
Um…
So I started trying to sort them out
and hours later, still no post
but a whole lot of reminiscing.
(Is it too early to reminisce yet?)
So in place of that post, I thought I’d treat
you all to a ‘gratuituous cat post’.
(Don’t say I’m not good to you!)
*******
So… cats. I have two.
Though sometimes two feels like three.
We got them a few years apart.
It was not exactly love at first sight.
But they seem to have reached some sort
of spacial agreement on how they hang out…
They’re both shelter cats. Which means along
with having their very own distinct personalities,
they also have their own distinct issues!
Our grey cat came first.
She’s half-pedigree, half-feral.
(The pedigree part is Russian Blue.
The feral is Berwick-upon-Tweed tabby.)
She was 6 weeks old when we got her and
so tiny you could pick her up with one hand.
(That blue bed lasted all of a day before
she puked and pooped on it. Lovely.)
She likes: fake chocolate ice cream sweets,
scratching our neighbours’ doormats,
her faithful friend (and toy) Mr Mouse,
snuggling, cuddling and Quorn ham.
She loathes: other people, being picked
up unexpectedly, the hairdryer,
and when the fox-owl-cat steals
her stuff (see depression expression).
******
The fow-owl-cat we got a few years later…
She was found in a barn as a kitten,
duly rounded up and put in a box…
(We always imagine this to be like the start
of ET when he’s being chased through the woods.)
As a result, she has a pathological fear of boxes,
loud noises, strangers, people she’s met but
has forgotten she’s met and me wearing hats.
(Honestly, the fear in her eyes when she sees
something on my head is unreal!)
She likes: her food, watching TV
(polar bears are her favourite),
being brushed, the grey cat’s stuff,
snoozing, and hunting spiders.
(The fox-owl-cat watching TV!)
She loathes: boxes (a lot),
the doorbell, loud sneezes,
sudden movements,
and being cold (she likes to sit
on the radiators when it’s cold).
For more cat-ness, feel free to follow me
on instagram (I’m convo_pieces).
Yes, I do post other pics there
but a whole lot of them are cat-related
just like the one above!
And if you’re ever debating getting a shelter cat,
I’d highly recommend it… yes, our cats are
a little (ok, a lot) weird but that’s
what makes them great.
Plus you get amazing cat cuddles
if you ever go away to Japan
for a couple of weeks!
So much furry cuteness!! You’re making me want to get/steal a cat now! (LOVE the TV watching!!)
Yeah I love watching her watching TV Abbi! It’s too funny 🙂 Maybe you could borrow a cat instead? 😉
🙂 TINY GREY CAT. Also, owl-fox-cat looked like and owl-fox cat even as a kitten!
If we move home, we are going to get a shelter cat. Dave doesn’t even like cats that much, but I like their human-ness. 🙂
Lisa-Marie recently posted..…busy, busy, busy.
Yeah our two are certainly quite human-ish Lisa-Marie… or at least they’re certainly very expressive and weird! 😉 I’m sure he’d come round once you had one (as long as he’s not allergic or anything!) x
He is allergic to all the animals, but wants a dog. Cats are smaller and easier to look after, so we are going with a cat. 🙂 x
Lisa-Marie recently posted..…busy, busy, busy.
I can’t wait to hear all about your Japan trip but this post has been just as good! Cats are so weird in their own special ways I think thats what makes them far more interesting than dogs…Both of your are so pretty too! The weirdest thing my cat does is scratch at the bedroom door in the morning demanding to be let in so she can get under the covers. She slithers right down to the bottom of the bed sometimes, purring away…I think maybe shes part mole…x
Rebecca recently posted..littletree’s blog crush…craftgawker/foodgawker
The foxowlcat has such a huge tail! I thought our cat Mitsy had a fuffy one! Weirdest thing she’s done is bring dead mice – into the bed!! Ahhhhh… Still love that cat thogh 🙂
You know I’m more of a dog person (although your kitties are very cute – I’ll have to come and snuggle/terrify them sometime), but I am so with you on the whole rescuing pets thing. Smidgen is pretty weird too (she’s like a timid kitten in greyhound’s clothing) but it’s all part of her charm. Or so we think, anyway.
Kirsty {a safe mooring} recently posted..Observations by a first-time viewer
These kitties are adorable! I totally love fluffy cats, I just don’t know if I could deal with the fur everywhere. Which leads me neatly to my question! As someone who is clearly house proud, how do you deal with cat fur? And if they are indoor kittens, which I’m guessing they are as you live in a flat, how do you deal with the litter? I’d love to know because those two things are the only things stopping me from considering cats as pets! I’m scared I will lose my mind when there is loads of fluff on the sofa! 🙂
Ana recently posted..Updated Hause Tour
Hey Ana, two very good questions! 🙂
On the fur… they don’t really leave that much fur everywhere other than their own beds (and they get rather upset if you remove the fur from these!). We do brush them which helps… and we have a Henry hoover which is very good at picking up fluff. The only days they seem to shed a lot of fur is when it’s really, really hot and you don’t get many days like that in Scotland 😉
On the litter, they have two boxes hidden in a cupboard so it’s out of the way… the, um, ‘stuff’ gets flushed down the toilet and the dirty litter goes into the bin. It has to be said that my husband tends to take care of this bit more than me… I’m more in charge of cuddles! 😉
Hope that helps x
So cute. I have two cats too (fatty and finny). Finnegan was a rescue cat too and has a huge personality (he has never learnt boundaries and thinks he’s ultimately in charge). Fatty (otherwise known as lily) is a feral kitten too, however she is decidedly sooky and cuddly for a cat with her background. I love how we give our cats human personalities!
heheh-cuteness!your grey cat is a beauty. fox-owl-cat is just that! could be a fox, no, it’s an owl, no..!marvellous!
robyn recently posted..Ndali Lodge- a younger, twinklier crowd
These are beautiful pictures of absolutely adorable cats! I loved reading about their characters too; what a great post.
Are they house cats? I would adore to get a cat, but I have stairs running up to a first floor flat, and I’m not sure how my insurance company would look on cutting a cat flap in the front door…sigh!
Hey Kat, yes both flat cats. They actually don’t go outside… we tried with the grey one (as we lived in a ground floor flat when we got her) but she loathed being outside. (I was a little embarrassed by how much freaked out she was by grass/mud etc in the garden!) So she just likes to out into the stairs in our building and that’s it…
While the fox-owl-cat, well, she hasn’t actually seemed to notice there is an outside world yet! (She’s three!)
Think it depends on the personality of your cat… though sometimes the shelters can help with that? Both the places we got ours from were v keen on them being indoor cats… and it just so happens that both our cats are keen on being indoor cats too! x
THE CUTEST CATS EVER. FACT!
LandGirl1980 recently posted..Lumber Jill’s
Oh, they are too cute!!!! The kittenpics are sooo adorable!!
Bloggugla recently posted..Mobiles
Cat cuddles are the best are’nt they? I loved this post x
What beautiful cats, and they really do sound a bit mental, but it’s their brilliant little quirks that you’ll always remember (Sorry if that’s a bit of a downer at the end of such a lovely post…oops)
Abigail recently posted..My Record Store Day experience
Your cats are excellent. Now I want a cat.
Siobhan recently posted..Style Me May
This is so lovely!
Great idea… and from one crazy cat lady to another.. your cats are ADORABLE!
Kate Eliza recently posted..Cracks.
I really enjoyed this post. Yes, I too am a huge fan of cats! Especially the rescue variety with all their funny little quirks.
3000 photos of your Japan trip, that’s just incredible, I hope it doesn’t take too long to sift through them I can’t wait to see!
Polly recently posted..in the post
What is it with bloggers + cats?! I’m not a fan; however, do love how you have their personalities totally sussed! And those pics of the cat watching the tv is a classic!
Lynne recently posted..It’s raining…
I love this post (and your cats)!
And I am still loving my NYC pictures 2 months on – definitely think I’m in to reminiscing territory now!
domestikate recently posted..The Snail Trail
I love your cats – they are just gorgeous. Especially the OwlFoxCat watching tv – too cute. I’m dying to get a cat but while we’re still in a rented flat in East London with loads of neighbourhood cats and foxes I fear they would be bullied!More cat posts please… x Charlotte
Charlotte recently posted..Besotted with: A lovely Swedish flat
Ah, they’re lovely! Our two both came with their own set of quirks… and they’re still slowly sussing out their pecking order (the little one’s winning at the moment)… but all that just makes them more interesting. Well, to Steve and me, anyway; I think our friends might be bored of hearing about them!
Sarah Rooftops recently posted..How to Make Your Blog More User Friendly
Adorable! I’ve got a rescue owl cat too. Adopting her (and her non owl sister) was one of the best thing I’ve done. I’m totally obsessed with them! xx
I’ve been reading for a while now and when I saw this post I just had to comment. We have a rescue cat too called Lewie. He’s a little bit crazy, a lot confident and we love him dearly but we want to get him a friend. The thing is I’m really worried about introducing another cat to him. Do you have any recommendations on how to do this?
Sarah recently posted..Packages & Prices
Hey Sarah… my tip would be to do it slowly! We actually kept our two apart for the first few days… then let them sniff each other through a door etc and check out things the other one had been sleeping on so they could get used to each other’s smell. Our grey cat wasn’t really that happy about the fox-owl-cat’s arrival really… it took her a while to not be peeved I think. (The fox-owl-cat was oblivious to all this!) Good luck if you try it… definitely worth doing but you need to be patient too. xx
Conversation Pieces recently posted..Gratuitous cat post… oh yes!
Aw, thanks so much for the tips! I’ll be sure to follow them when we eventually get a little friend for our Lewie. Hopefully it will work!
Sarah recently posted..daviniahamilton.com
I love cats, but quite clearly a squirrel and chinchilla have sneaked into your photos!
***Ta-dah! Tuesday tomorrow – link up your amazing makes, fabulous finds and outrageous outfits!***
Lakota [Faith hope and Charity Shopping]c recently posted..Ta-dah! Tuesday – come and link up!
Hello, I’ve been enjoying your blog for a little while now but never commented but had to on this one. I also have a Russian blue come something else cat, she looks pretty much exactly the same as yours. She’s quite old now, about 17years, and has become very cuddly now. The first thing she does is come and sit on your lap when you sit down on the couch of an evening. But for most of her life she did not want cuddles or be touched much at all. Very aloof she was. So, your gorgeous grey one may become cuddly in her old age too xx Loved the photos of your lovely cats, they’re both gorgeous.
naawh cat cuddles : )
these two are utterly adorable.
fox-owl-cat, love! and can see how she got this description.
x
evie recently posted..etsy seven
Oh my, that’s a lot of kittynessness, just love! To one crazycatlady to another…just gorgeous! 🙂 Keep em coming, don’t mind at all! ha!
I just discovered this post about your fab cats (I’m in a terrible stage of procrastination at the moment). Loved to read their stories, I’m a bit of a fan of these two (as you could already tell by the amount of ‘likes’ on Instagram ;-))! By the way, how can somebody put a kitten in a box?! That’s terrible. Luckily, they found you!
Marlous recently posted..Aaawww!