We adopted Monty, Manau and Romeo from a cat shelter about eight years ago. They were surrenders rather than strays. We kept all their adoptive names. We actually don’t know how to pronounce Manau, so he’s ‘Manu’, like the MKR (TV show) judge to us!
The year we adopted Monty was a tough time for us as we had to say goodbye to our elderly cats Tyke and Sadie who died a few months apart both from renal failure. We still had our gorgeous British blue cross, Keira, but wanted to rescue another kitty.
Monty was very meek at the shelter, but little did we know he would rule the roost when we got him home! Coincidently, we also adopted Minty at the same time from another shelter and these two boys loved to play hard and were forever chasing each other around the house. Sadly, Minty died a short time later after a routine operation.
Monty was too much of a ruffian for Keira so we ended up going in search of a third cat to help with the dynamics. We adopted Manau and Romeo, and suddenly became a family of six!
We built a cat run to keep them indoors for their health and to protect the wildlife. I don’t know what their life was like pre-us but they are very spoilt and loved, and it’s like ‘Oh, we are out of cat meat, we better go to the supermarket – oh do WE need anything whilst we are there?!’. We know our place as kitty servants!
They are very lucky to be with us but so are we to have them! We love them dearly and life would not be the same without any of them. They are all so very different in purrsonalities. They make us laugh on a daily basis with their antics.
Monty is the braveheart – he thinks he’s a lion, a tiger or both. He doesn’t realise he is actually a tiny tabby. He’s very puppy like; chews on cords – we think it best to turn off the power cords when we are out. He’s also the chirpy morning person. Hard to be grumpy when he comes into the bathroom every morning when I am getting ready for work for a chat. Monty also loves visitors and has been known to socially groom someone in 5 minutes of meeting them – not shy our Monty!
Romeo is the sensitive type, in fact quite a Mummy’s boy. He’s not keen on the ‘play’ fighting of Monty & Manau. He hates thunder and loud noises on the telly. He’s such a sweet and gentle soul. He just wants to hang out with us. I’m often working on my laptop and Romeo will spend time hanging out with me just sitting at my feet (that’s after he’s finished stomping across the keyboard innumerable times). He’s also a gourmet – loves anything we are eating, doesn’t matter if it has pepper and chilli. And he has a bad habit of sneaking around on the bench later for more of the tasty people food.
Manau is a most unusual kitty. He scoffs his meat in seconds and is prone to stealing everyone else’s – grabbing a mouthful and making a run for it. If you haven’t headed into the kitchen by the time he thinks its teatime, he’ll start hassling. This could include nipping you on the finger, standing on your lap, meowing right in your face or giving you a tap on the leg as you walk past. Kitchen, now!! He’ll herd you there for good measure. His favourite toy is a green bean to bat around the floor – none of those expensive faux mouses, thanks!
Message to Rescue
I’m very lucky to volunteer as a photographer and be involved with other volunteers and staff at a cat rescue centre. I see first-hand the love, care and hard work that is involved and the joy when each and every cat is adopted. It’s so true, adopting one cat can’t change the world but it changes the world for that cat. Making a difference one animal at a time…..
