On this International Cat Day, I’d love to introduce you to the cats in my life now and the cats who have passed but have added immense joy to my life. Pictured above are some of the cats I’ll be talking about in this post. While there are cats I currently have the privilege of knowing and caring for in different ways, today I’d also like to honour the cats who have been a large part of my life but are no longer with us.
Let’s begin with a familiar face on the blog!
Miss Soph
Sophie, or Miss Soph as we affectionately call her, is a choc point ragdoll/Birman (the subject of debate) and nearly a super senior! I’ve been looking after her since 2015. Soph is the most vocal and clingy/needy/affectionate cat I know who doesn’t have a mean bone in her body (she never growls or hisses at anything, not even when having her mani-pedi done). Miss Soph is definitely a people cat and seeks out the company of those she knows (but hides under the bed covers for those she doesn’t) who loves her cuddles and daily brushings.
You can read more about her here -> Meet Miss Soph: Introducing The Cat Behind The Blog Category!
Sapphy
Rescued from a pet shop in January 2010, Sapphy has a purr like a motorbike and is very affectionate. We also call her Minoog (for reasons now really known). She likes exploring the great outdoors on her vast property with plenty of room for adventure, still very much in touch with her wild cat nature. It’s easy to spot her outdoor in the evenings with her striking white fur. Sapphy is my beautiful “upside down” pudding (like an inverted Christmas pudding with her colouration).
You can read more about her here -> Introducing Sapphy: My Beautiful White & Brown Tabby Cat
Sylvie
My mum’s cat Sylvie gives Sophie a run for her money in the vocalisation category. She’s a silver tabby who likes her sleep and gets plenty of rest every day (and is on the bigger side with the nickname ‘Chonky,’ a common theme with our cats). When she does venture outdoors, Sylvie keeps Mum company in the garden sometimes, or at least likes to have someone out there with her. I personally think she’s part-fancy-breed like British shorthair or something, with her puffed cheeks and the feel of her fur, but I can’t be sure.
You can read more about her here -> Introducing Sylvie!
Topaz
My sister’s cat Topaz is the youngest of our three hills cats (Sapphy is the oldest and Sylvie is the middle child), adopted at the same time as the other two. I’m not sure that she likes me very much, but she does allow me to pat her (when she’s in the mood) and can be very affectionate. This little dilute tortie has the attitude of a tortie, but also loves a cuddle with my sister.
Stay tuned for a blog post!
Mr Darcy & Miss Sommer
These tuxedo cats flew in last year from South Africa with my aunt who adopted them as very young kittens while she lived over there. Just a few years old, they remind me how much energy young cats have (that our older cats don’t have consistently, but they do have their moments). It was a bit of an ordeal to get them from South Africa back to Australia, with Darcy losing a lot of weight (which he’s now put back on plus a bit more for winter), but they’re here now and settling in to their new home with my grandma and aunt very well. Sommer likes to sing a bit, but Darcy is very quiet and doesn’t have much to say.
Stay tuned for a blog post!
Remembering Cats That Have Passed
Pippi (Miss Peep)
Sophie’s sister Pippi, also known as Miss Peep, passed away nearly three years ago now at the age of 12 after going in for a routine investigative x-ray. We never brought her home unfortunately due to some findings and complications. In the time that I knew her, she was a spicy tortie who didn’t like being picked up or cuddled, but would be extremely affectionate with head bunts and enjoyed a good pat. Giving her a necessary mani-pedi was a two person job. She would never sit on you like her sister, but would sit next to you (or on my feet in bed at night), always close by, purring like one of those cars with a muffler problem and the vibrations to match.
Tammy & Holly
Tammy the tabby cat and Holly the female ginger cat (formerly known as Robert when she was assumed male) became part of the family before I was born. As I remember her, Tammy was extremely affectionate, and had a knack for knowing when someone was upset (I remember she’d sit with me when I cried sometimes). The main thing I remember about Holly was that she was loud – she probably had more to say than Sophie, Sylvie, and Sommer combined. All you had to do was look at her and she’d meow in greeting. These were the first cats that I grew up with and may have had a lot to do with my natural love of cats.
Puss
A lovely big tuxedo boy, Puss (also called “Black and White Meowy Cat” or Bawmac for short, or “Dougy” by an aunt) came to our property as a cat we thought was wild/feral until we caught him in a cage, realised he was probably an abandoned house cat, and decided to adopt him (simplifying the story massively!). He became my brother’s cat and still retained a lot of the wildness – we needed to be very careful how we pat him so as not to get the claws. I always felt like we were so fortunate to be able to give him a good home for the years that he was with us.
Final Thoughts
On this International Cat Day, celebrate and appreciate the felines in your life that you’re fortunate to know and/or look after, and honour those cats that aren’t here anymore but left paw prints on your heart and soul.
And please introduce me to your cats! I’d love to virtually meet as many cats as I can and know all about them, their quirks, habits, how you came to be their guardian, all the good stuff. You can share this in the comments below or email me at [email protected].
Love to you and all your feline companions,
Melissa and Miss Soph x
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