Every few weeks we look for interesting stories from cats and their owners. This week we spoke to Chantelle from South Yorkshire. Chantelle lives with her fiancé and their seven cats.
"Before I met my partner, I surprisingly didn't like cats. Once we adopted one, I was convinced. Seven cats later... We have to stop ourselves all the time not to adopt another cat," says Chantelle.
Adopt, don't shop!
Chantelle's cats are all adopted cats or stray cats. “Don't let a cat's past scare you and save the often overlooked cats,” Chantelle says. She thinks it is important that they also get a new chance. "We got one of our cats, Mufasa, from a shelter. They found him on the street. We are very close with Poonam, the founder of Lola's Sanctuary. They are doing a great job."
MooMan
Poonam, the owner of Lola’s Sanctuary wouldn't give up on Mufasa, even though a vet told her to put him to sleep. "He had been kicked so hard that his bladder stopped working. Poonam did everything she could and discovered some kind of medicine to help him. A few months after Chantelle adopted him she gradually took him off the medicines and now he’s completely off them.
“Rescuing a cat with a traumatic past helped made me humble. It amazes me that MooMan (Mufasa) is able to trust and love us after people have treated him so badly. He is making progress every day and it is amazing to see him blossom,” Chantelle says.
Happy cats
The couple takes the best possible care of their cats. They even built a tunnel and a castle for them! "The cats have access to our yard, but they aren't allowed beyond that. If something happened to them, I don't know what I would do. My fiancé built them a cat amusement park and they absolutely love it! They are lucky," Chantelle says.
Gain trust
Chantelle and her partner are very happy with the bond they have with their cats. "You have to gain their trust. It's different with dogs. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, but cats don't love you right away. You have to work for it, you have to earn their trust. And once they trust you and they come for that first hug or head rub, you just melt and it means even more. They taught me a lot about consent," Chantelle says.
The cats also help her a lot when she is having a hard time. "They are always there, everywhere. We consider them in every decision we make. I have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and the cats are always there for me. Jim notices immediately when I am having a hard time and always comes over to cuddle me."
Their first scratching post
A litter box, a cat amusement park and a tunnel... The only thing missing was a scratching post! "We just bought our first! We have the Corner Coon Blackline. It's in our living room because we like to see them enjoy it. There is such a big difference in quality with the other scratching posts we have. I honestly can't believe it Louis is quite a crazy cat and he can jump on it like a maniac and the scratching post doesn't even move."
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