I have spent my entire life around cats. Tigger was my first, not much younger than myself. But throughout the years we found ourselves inundated with cats from the wild. Dad brought home Smokey who had eaten all the fur off her tail. Patience birthed 9 babies in our garage, and we kept Boots. Boots went on to have 5 of her own, two of which we kept. Buddy showed up one day as he wandered lonesomely through the forests and former farms. Eventually Sammy got found on the road and we took him in to become the legendary Chunk. When the Boots clan finally passed into history, Mom was so heartbroken she convinced everyone to go out and get three new cats – Maxine, Teo, and Gonzo. Today, my family has four cats warming their hearts. But now, I have two of my own.
Meet Nico (Calico) and Minny (Orange). The two cutest little girl cats I could have asked for. I’ve wanted a cat in Shanghai since at least 2018, but the timing never seemed right. It’s a commitment. Well, I’ve finally taken the plunge and adopted! Thanks to Furry Friends Shanghai Animal Rescue, I was able to get these two cuties. I’m here for the long-haul, and these girls will follow me wherever I end up.
This was them their first night in their new home. Nico was so terrified. She was trying to back up behind Minny to stay away from me, and they spent pretty much the entire day inside that carrier, too scared to come out. Minny was pretty chill, just unsure. Nico was beyond curious, but convinced I was there merely to eat her. Nothing much happened, but I was so happy to have them and had prepared many, many toys for them.
On the second day, Minny knew she was home and did her best to establish this new territory as hers. She even peed on my duvet! Nico was terrified, and mostly hid inside the different cat caves I’d bought them when she could. It took a good week before Nico let me even touch her, but she loved food time and would flop on her side whenever it was time to eat. Minny, on the other hand, decided she was happy to have a large and warm human to sleep next to, and began cuddling with me nightly. She was just as excited for food as for cuddles and bed time.
Despite the fear and unsuredness, we all discovered how much these girls liked to play early on. That was the only way Nico would interact with me. Her favorite is a raccoon tail from a fishing rod she broke in a day (but she still has the raccoon tail). Minny’s favorite is the red bug.
While they both like to play, Nico likes to play a little too much. The very definition of mischievous! While Minny is clearly a lover and not a fighter, Nico loves a good scrap. Sometimes she will go straight from loving my scratches to trying to rip off my arm. While Minny is calmly trying to take a bath, Nico takes this as an opportunity to slowly walk over and start biting her neck. If she isn’t fed by 7am, she wakes me up either by nibbling on my ear lobe or chasing Minny around. She is a sweetie-pie otherwise, and all but melts when she’s looking for love.
Minny can throw down with her sister when she has to! She tends to just relax, sleep, and meow at me for loving, but when Nico starts bugging her she will work to end the fight quickly. Mostly, though, she is hanging out on top of her cat tower and watching the world outside, happy to have a warm, dry spot from which to see the world. She will, however, be the first there in bed to cuddle up. She even comes to get me if I stay up after ten because that’s simply too late for our family. Recently, she discovered she can sleep underneath the sheet, and has asked me every night to let her crawl down there.
Since I got the cats, I have been noticeably happier. Many people have commented on it. It’s also given me a good schedule of needing to be home to feed them at certain times or clean their mess. I desperately need to get an Ayi, as their fur has become too much for me to handle on my own now. All day long, though, I miss them and I know they miss me. During the week when I spend around 12 hours away from home, they demand around 30 minutes of attention straight; I can tell they were sad. During the weekends, they are so glad to find me in bed after 7 and will cuddle up for extra love (after they get breakfast, of course).
Most of all, they have helped me get back in touch with my tender side as I do my utmost to see these two little fluffs happy. It feels good to come home to someone who missed you all day. I’m glad I got these two little girls, and I’m so excited to be their Cat Dad for however long they have.
