By Christine Swan

Whenever I post stories about cats, they certainly do attract attention. I have shared my life with cats since I was a small child. Both of my parents worked and although they had owned a dog prior to my arrival, feline friends were more tolerant of being left on their own during the day, and take their own exercise.

The popular children’s television series Blue Peter, featured a seal point Siamese cat called Jason, which seemed to have a unique personality. My sister and I were enthralled and began a campaign to persuade our parents that such a cat would be the perfect companion animal. After a relentless series of promises and pleas, a kitten was sourced and collected from Westerham. I confess that I don’t remember the early days of our cat, Ratsmee, but she became a perfect childhood friend. She did not mind being wheeled about in a toy pram, enjoyed rides in the bag on the back of our Raleigh Small Wheel bicycles, taking walks on a lead, and playing chase. If this behaviour sounds more like a dog than that of a cat, Siamese cats really are quite different.

When we took a family holiday in Cornwall, the cat was placed in a cattery, where it pined away and refused to eat. We henceforth decided that the cat came on holiday too. Ratsmee would accompany us to the children’s playground and enjoyed the attention from other children, and even though cats are territorial animals, her territory seemed to consist of wherever we were.

Ratsmee lived until I went to university. I was devastated when my father told me that she had died as he drove me home after my first erm away from home. It felt as if I had lost a childhood friend, which, of course, I had.

Since that time, I have only had rescued cats – my home doesn’t feel like one without at least one cat. Yoda was the sleek black cat that moved with me from London. She was very much a city cat, in the same way that I am a city girl. When I lived in London and was at work, she knew exactly what time I would return, and would wait on the pavement close to the crossing on a busy A road. She never stepped into the road, she just waited. If it took too long for the pelican crossing to stop the traffic, she would howl at the top of her voice, until I had safely arrived on her side and she would bound along the side road back to my flat. Yoda was my friend through various traumas, she was my constant companion in black velvet. I still miss her, she was a wonderful cat.

After I had moved to Worcestershire, on a winter’s morning, I noticed a black and white cat hanging about outside of our house. It cried relentlessly and seemed hungry. I assumed that this was a well-fed neighbour’s cat seeking extra rations. This tuxedo-clad chancer stared in at the windows from first thing in the morning to last thing at night. We decided to offer a small amount of food and it became clear that it was ravenous. This prompted checking local vets and charities to investigate if a missing pet had been reported. Eventually, the cat’s plight reached a crisis as temperatures plummeted and it became more desperate. We named him Sammy and officially adopted him. I have often tried to think how Sammy arrived at our house and can only assume that he may have been abandoned when a family moved house or deliberately dumped. Sammy’s residence overlapped with Yoda’s . She was not amused initially, but eventually learned to tolerate the new pretender. Yoda was the matriarch and continued to rule the roost.

World peace breaks out – a cosy blanket solves all tensions

Sammy was a beautiful cat, powerfully built but with a gentle and tolerant nature. When my children were young, they carried him about, pulled his tail and patted him too hard. He never scratched, growled or bit. He seemed to understand small people and make allowances.

Sammy – a very fine cat indeed

Sammy grew old, very old. He was the oldest cat on our vet’s books and we estimated that he lived to the age of twenty two. When he was twenty, he was quite bony and very deaf. He didn’t go far but liked to greet children on their way home from school. Unfortunately, somebody assumed that he was abandoned or mistreated and took him to the Cats’ Protection League. After many phone calls and tears shed, a miracle happened and he was discovered at a local vet.

We resolved to keep a closer eye on him and attempt to stop his wandering. But Sammy was a rover and after a few weeks, he disappeared again. This time he wasn’t with the Cats’ Protection League, or any local vets. We went through the stages of hope, despair and grief, assuming that our baggy old friend was lost forever. You should never give up, ever. After yet another phone call to our own local vet, they returned our call to say that a cat had been brought in from the RSPCA, that they were treating for thyroid problems and that it was a senior with very few teeth. These events took place long before the use of microchips which would have solved the problem very quickly. However, we went to our vets expecting another disappointment – but there he was, alive and as well as a twenty year old cat can be! There were tears of joy all around. To this day, I am astounded – how did the vet’s staff not recognise our Sammy? I think photographs would be an excellent addition to a pet’s record but the use of a microchip is definitely better. Sammy was back and we were so very grateful. However, he was confined to quarters for the rest of his days, except for short, accompanied walks in the garden. He lived to an incredible age and had such a lovely personality, arriving by chance and staying with us for over two decades.

Perfectly trustworthy with small children but combative with other members of the household

A quick audit of cats tells me that since Sammy, there have been no fewer than eight cats across our threshold. The current cat count is two, but it has been as high as five. I have already recounted the story of Simba, the unexpected kitten. When she arrived and we took her for her check up and jabs, our vet said: “Well, you have landed on your paws!”. She sleeps in the sunshine, or on the bed. Like a child, she cries for reassurance if she cannot see anybody and needs company. Cats need us and in return, they give us a reason to care and a reason to get up and keep going. Stroking a cat can lower blood pressure and their company can help to combat loneliness. So let’s celebrate our furry feline friends and if we can, share our home with a rescue cat.

Sammy in his senior years

More information

Cats’ Protection – https://www.cats.org.uk/

Royal Society for the Protection of Animals – https://www.rspca.org.uk/