Adopting a Cat

Adopting a Cat

Back in the middle of August we lost Mika, our cat of 15 years (though I’m entirely sure we were his human servants!). It was so heart-wrenching, but he was ill and we couldn’t let him suffer. So since mid August our ten-year-old, half-breed Maine Coon Leo has been an only cat.

We had the whole “do we / don’t we” discussions about getting a new cat as a companion for Leo, after all he’s never been an only cat before. Our pets have always come to us needing a home, but we’ve never actively sought to adopt an animal before.

Aberystwyth Cats Protection ScreenshotWe looked at all the local cat charities, as well as some a bit further away, but in the end we settled on Aberystwyth & District Cats Protection. Their website has an Adopt a Cat section and a quick look showed plenty of cats to fall in love with. We fell in love with Silky* – a young cat described as a dainty lady who’s very affectionate, vocal and can’t get enough attention. Perfect!

We filled in the contact form and waited to hear back from Aberystwyth & District Cats Protection. A phone call later and the beautiful Silky was reserved for us.

silky_nov2015bCats Protection, like any good animal charity, usually do a home check, but due to the distance involved they agreed to contact our vet for a reference. We can only imagine our vet gave us a good reference as Cats Protection gave us the go-ahead to adopt Silky. I was like a kid at Christmas and couldn’t wait to meet her.

Silky was being looked after by a fosterer, so we agreed to visit on Friday 13th November. We drove to the wild hills of Ceredigion and met the dainty Silky, her fosterer and the other cats in her care. I fell in love with Silky all over again, although I was tempted by the four cute little kittens cuddled up together.

silky_nov2015aSilky was brilliant on the hour and a half journey home, but poor Leo had no idea his world was about to be invaded by another cat.

We followed the Cats Protection’s advice on introducing a new cat to the household and took it slowly. On first meeting Silky, Leo wasn’t bothered. However, the second time he took great offence to another cat being in his territory!

We’ve had Silky a week now and she’s delightful. She’s around 18 months old, so is quite kitten-like. She isn’t as vocal as I thought she might be, but she’s very friendly and can’t get enough fuss. Leo still isn’t sure of her, but they’ll get there, I’m sure.

*We’re not sure if she’ll be keeping Silky as her name yet. Only time will tell!

26 comments

  1. What a lovely happy ending! We had a kitten called Frisky when I was small and I loved him dearly. I was heartbroken when he was run over but the vet saved Frisky’s life by amputating his back leg. He grew into a very fine cat. I hope you all enjoy the festive season together.

  2. Kelly says:

    I love the post and the photos! I am a total animal person and have nine dogs living in my care, all pups that appeared at our home in need, one way or another. I love Rottweilers, have had three, and hope to have another someday… but right now my purpose is to love the strays we took in.

    I’ve never owned a cat, but have four “grandkitties” who have all captured my heart. Who knows, maybe someday can have a kitty of my own.

    I hope Leo adjusts to Silky very soon!

  3. I’m so glad you were able to bring a new kitty into your family! I know how hard it is when we have to let one go. I hope Silky (or whatever her name lands on) is a wonderful, lifelong companion.

  4. Jo says:

    I’m so sorry to hear about poor Mika, it’s very hard when anything happens to our pets but how lovely to be welcoming a new addition to the family. Cats are funny creatures, I’m sure Leo will come round eventually but it will be on his terms.

  5. Tracy Terry says:

    What wonderful work these charities do though it does of course sadden me to think there is a need for them.

    Lovely that you were able to offer Silky a home. I would so love another cat but will have to satisfy myself with sponsoring a cat who because of issues caused by its ill-treatment cannot be re-homed.

    • Nixy says:

      These charities do do wonderful work. I honestly could have taken several cats, but it just wouldn’t be fair on Leo (plus Silky loves a lot of fuss!).

      Sponsoring a cat is a great idea.

  6. Such a beautiful kitty! I went back and forth about whether to adopt another cat after we lost our dog and second cat two years ago. My Parker was obviously lonely and with our vet’s recommendation, decided to go ahead and take in a one year old cat. We didn’t take it as slow as we probably should have, but the two hit it off relatively quickly. I think Parker (who is 15 now) was just so happy to have another animal in the house again.

    I hope your two will come to love each other. Congratulations on the addition to your family. 🙂

  7. Such a sweet though sad story….But, how wonderful you found Silky! I had a cat named Silky who was perfection. He lived to be 17 1/2…..and was a very loving dear soul. Very spiritual…..I hope it all works out beautifully, my dear. Thanks for coming by and for your lovely wishes….!

  8. Barbara says:

    Hello Nikki-ann, Silky is just beautiful, and I’m sure Leo will fall in love with her given time. I have a friend who fosters cats for Cats Protection the problem is she can never part with them, so she now has six cats. They are all beautiful and she devotes her life to them, but she might have to stop fostering – or buy a bigger house! Thank you for your Christmas wishes. Nadolig Llawen & Happy New Year to you too, I look forward to catching up with you again in 2016. Barbara x

  9. Hi Nikki,

    As you know, I am definitely not a huge cat fan, however Silky does look quite cute and the name suits her perfectly 🙂

    I think that all pets should first be sourced through charity homing and only if all else fails, should a breeder be called into service.

    We have a really popular shelter close by ..
    Bath Cats & Dogs Home
    https://www.bathcatsanddogshome.org.uk/

    Hopefully Leo will soon adjust to having a bossy young kitty around the place, but he still needs to be able to maintain some dignity 🙂

    Yvonne

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