Meet the rest of Maia-Annabel's family.....

clevercat

catwoman
Sep 29, 2008
13,345
4,513
So, thanks to Oggers and Cindi for suggesting I open this thread to introduce Maia-Annabel's minions :flowers:
I thought I would also share their stories, how they came to be rescued and adopted.
So, who's up for a photo reveal?

Let's start with Murphy
Murphy was a Battersea cat. My first adoptee (Bon and Clyde, my first cats, were also from Battersea - I got them when I rented their owner's home, and they stayed with me until the end of their lives - when I moved, they came with me as she no longer wanted them) in that he was the first cat I chose for myself.
I thought I was such an experienced cat owner at that time. In reality, I knew nothing. I hadn't started doing rescue work myself, and I went to Battersea as a kind of tribute to Clyde who had died earlier that year.
I fell in love with Murphy the moment I saw him. Can't explain why - I just knew I would be standing by his pen until they agreed I could take him home.....
He turned out to be one of the most difficult cats I have ever helped. Murph had been kept shut up in one room, where, as he hadn't been neutered, he became frustrated and very aggressive. In addition, as he hadn't been exposed to people or other cats, he was beyond shy - just terrified of the world.
When I got him home, he thanked me by biting me so badly I had a bruise for the next fortnight. Even now, I know to watch him in case he 'turns'. Anyhow. At the same time, he was desperate for affection. On his first night he got into my lap, purred, fell asleep and then bit me again as soon as he woke up.
It took a lot of time to settle him in, but I watch him now with Maia-Annabel, cleaning her up and snuggling with her, and playing chase with Phil and Tommy, and it's all been worth it.
Here he is.....

Murphy 2.jpg

Murphy.jpg

Let me know when you're ready for the next reveal! :biggrin:
 
I love Murphy! He looks so full of himself in your avatar. He reminds me quite a bit of my first tabby Barney, tbcitw


:popcorn:



hehehe who am I kidding---I will check back when I wake up :sleepy:
 
Next up....Norton the Wonder Cat.
Norton is a miracle.
His story - he was abandoned and living as a stray, scrounging a living at a motorcycle workshop. He used to sleep under a Norton motorbike, hence the name. The kind person feeding him called the rescue centre when he noticed Norton had problems walking. I adopted him soon after, in September 2009, when he was around ten years old. I absolutely adore Norton - a friend of mine calls him 'husband cat', as he is so protective (really - he growls if he hears somebody at the door, or someone talking outside :P) of me.
Christmas 2010, Norton became paralysed from the waist down. I still remember the vet at the rescue centre telling me - on Christmas Eve - 'nobody would blame you if you let him go'. Instead, I switched vets and eight long weeks later,with diet, lots of massage and physio (his new vet taught me and I still think I have her to thank that he recovered), me cleaning up his pee and poop, lots of love from me - and with lots of encouragement from his new vet - Norton recovered the use of his back legs.
Now, I don't take a single day for granted. I watch him run around with Maia-Annabel, or jumping up on the bed or sofa for a cuddle with me - and I am so grateful he has been given a second chance.
Here's the boy.....

In his Halloween costume

HH5.jpg

and enjoying a refreshing rest with Gerbil

Norton and Gerbil.jpg

Coming up next, my Bear.
 
I love your threads. What darling kitties. Getting Norton back on his feet must have been one of the most rewarding things ever. You are amazing and each kitteh is so fortunate to have you for their mom.
 
Say hello to the Bear.....
Bluetooth isn't working, so I can only show a couple of photos that don't do him justice - as soon as I've worked out how to fix it, I'll post my favourite picture of the not-so-little man. I knew his name immediately - he was 9 kilos and looked like a belly with paws when I met him - just like a baby bear :biggrin:

The Bear's story could've had a very sad ending and I still find it hard to believe anyone could've treated him like this.
I had a call from the owner of the clinic, late one Saturday evening, to say there was a cat there who really needed me.
Some Council workers had found a cat abandoned on the roof of a seventeen-storey building. Somebody had obviously loved him once, as there were empty bowls and a litter tray there. Bad enough to be abandoned, the cat was also in huge pain, one eye almost out of the socket, and a problem with the other eye too. I try not to think how scared he must've been, cold, hungry, alone, in pain and unable to see.
When the Rescue team went to get him, they expected to find a scared, hissing, scratching cat - instead, Bear rolled onto his back and started purring....he was so happy to be found.
Back at the clinic, one eye had to be removed. The other doesn't look pretty (to visitors, anyway. I look at him and see perfection), but initially he was able to make out light and dark. Now he is blind, but I am always so impressed at how he finds his way around....On top of this, he has severe alopecia and looks like a right flea-bitten mess, but I honestly don't see that. To me, he is beautiful.
The Clinic was full to bursting point, so my boy was living in the office there. I will always remember the first time I saw him, with his big purple stitches where his eye had been removed - he was lounging on one of the office chairs. I bent down to give him a kiss and right away, the tummy was up for a tickle and the purring started up.
I remember taking him home and how his paw came out of the carrier and hooked around my hand, as though he was looking for comfort....
It was not the easiest introduction ever, I had recently adopted a cat with severe mental and physical difficulties (Lupe, who died last year), who was not best pleased his Mama's time was being shared with a new boy and I look back now and wonder how I coped....
I'm so glad I persevered. Bear is amazing. He has a variety of roles, office administrator (sitting on the laptop at inconvenient moments....), sofa warmer, and our favourite role - he sleeps tucked around my head and shoulders, his chin resting on my head. And the purring.....it's hard to sleep without it now. He is the one, if I have a bad day, I just cuddle him and snuggle into his neck - instant stress relief. I often tell him he will break my heart one day, I am so used to having him within purring distance. I hope that day is a long way off.
The good photo is, I hope, coming up soon, but meanwhile, here he is with his friends Norton and Gerbil, practising hard for the synchronised napping event at this year's Olympics.

BNG.jpg

So, who shall I introduce next? I believe it might be Phillip's turn.
 
I love this thread!! I gotta ask though, how do you manage all these introductions and get all these cats to be friends??

Maia-Annabel and Tommy were immediately accepted into the family, I think because they were so little. With the others, particularly with their Special Needs, it takes a lot of time and patience.
Lately, I have found the easiest way is to pop the newcomer in a kitten pen for the first couple of days - that way everyone can meet and greet without the risk of a punch-up.