The first two weeks with Harry and Bobby were quite stressful. I was worried about Paul’s allergy and he and Harry just didn’t see eye-to-eye. When we met both cats for the first time Harry couldn’t care less while Bobby, who was a skinny flea infested thing with an eye infection, instantly charmed her way into our hearts. She spent considerable time on both our laps and clearly wanted us to take her home. Harry just ignored us. That should have been a clear warning.
Harry had a sad history; his original owners kept him in a small flat and didn’t treat him properly. When they split up they couldn’t agree as to who should keep him and he ended up at the local CP branch. Harry had no concept of the word no and kept jumping on kitchen surfaces. Paul despaired in the mornings. I liked Harry. He was a cuddly cat with issues. The problem was that Bobby didn’t use her litter tray, despite there being 3 in our house. Instead she weed in her basket or on the floor. She also didn’t eat enough which was a problem because she was infested with ear mites, anaemic and diagnosed with a heart murmur (which is completely gone). The vet didn’t think she would make it. Bobby’s history is very upsetting She was found fending for herself in a bin in Rumney, when she was just a few weeks old. The people who found her waited first to see if her mother would come back. That didn’t happen, so they kept her for a short period of time and then informed PC. She was very mellow in those early days. It didn’t take long for us to find out why this kitten didn’t use her litter tray. Harry was simply bullying her – he would pounce on her when she was trying to eat and obstructing the litter tray. It was awful to witness really. The final straw was when she weed on the kitchen floor, after numerous attempts to use the litter tray. The same evening I phoned his fosterer Kate and the next day Harry went back to her. It was a happy end for all concerned -Kate missed Harry very much and decided to keep him, I missed peace and harmony, and Bobby started to blossom.
It was hard for me to give him back, but I think we made the right decision. I dread to think what would have happened otherwise.
The first night without Harry we worried that Bobby would miss him. After all they often curled up together. She didn’t. Instead she was finally able to climb on board of our bed for a cuddle. She never weed on the floor again.
Bobby is now three years old and when we adopted her in 2005 it was finally reason enough for Paul to propose.
Paul found out that he isn’t allergic after all, which was good news for us.
Bobby is a very protected cat. We live near a very busy road and the thought, that she could get killed by a car is unbearable. That’s why we secured the garden as much as we can and got her used to walking on a leash.
Bobby is a semi-housecat and she is very fond of us. She is a true people cat. I wonder what she would make of a kitten, because I would love to eventually adopt another kitten.
She is quite different from Freddy. Bobby is only young and still very playful, she is affectionate but not a lap cat. She can talk for Britain. She is very vocal. Bobby loves cuddles in the mornings when she visits us on the bed, but hates being picked up. She has peculiar habits and one might stem from the time when she was fending for herself or when Harry prevented her from eating: she comes up to us and demands a cuddle while she eats. Or she wants a cuddle on the living room table – not hygienic, I know - I think it’s the height she seeks. Bobby is very clean, smells lovely and is very funny. This cat certainly has a sense of humour. She loves to catch your leg when you don’t expect her to and always has her claws in and she always looks like she is chuffed with herself when she gets hold of you. She is very friendly and good-natured.
But she is also very needy and seeks a lot of reassurance.
Lately we have started walking her further a field in a forest (The Wenallt). She loves those walks. We make sure we seek out a quiet spot where we won’t meet dogs or many people.
I know people think we are nuts – but we discovered we are not the only ones who walk their cat. Check out this website: http://www.torrens.org.uk/Cats/
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