Today I am straying away from my usual fashion & beauty posts as today is a very special day. This weekend one of the most important people in my life turns 19 years old, my cat Mandy. If you're not a cat person then move along because you just won't get this post!
Mandy is the most unique little soul you'll ever come across! She's kept us laughing from the moment we met her when her and her sister were batting around a plug socket cover. We got Mandy and her sister Molly at 12 weeks old. It was just after my 9th birthday because I remember wanting to use my birthday money to pay for them, they were only £10 each!! Molly & Mandy came from a family who had 5 girls ranging between age 4 and 11 so they were used to being around children. My younger sister Emily and I decided in the car on the way home with them that I would have one and called her Mandy (after my favourite character in my Animal Ark books of course!) she would have one and call her Molly because she thought the names sounded sweet together! Of course both of us ended up loving them both as much as each other though! I know there was definitely one other kitten in their litter, a boy called Podge who they were keeping. I don't know if there were any other siblings or if they're still around unfortunately. Molly and Mandy were inseparable for the first two years of their lives playing together and sleeping intertwined. They became really independent as they got older but would still gang up together if another cat was on their territory! Sadly we lost Molly aged only 14 (far too young in my opinion!) to lung cancer. It was all very sudden and I was devastated, they became such a massive part of my day-to-day life after all!
As well as being a real character Mandy is a sensitive, gentle soul who loves her humans very much. She was a great comfort to all of us after Molly died and I think she was a little lost too, she became more needy for attention. She has always been a cat who seems to sense my mood. Whenever I'm upset, ill or in pain there she is coming over for a cuddle. One time when I was really crying she came over to me, looked at me directly in the eyes and gave me a kiss on the nose! I have so many memories of coming back from hospital and she'll be sitting there at the top of the stairs waiting for me. She regularly puts her paws on my left side which is my bad side. I like to think that she believes she's healing me!
One of her favourite things has been, since we got out conservatory built, she realised she could climb on the conservatory roof and in through my bedroom window - hours of endless fun! The best part is always watching her reverse herself in through the window - why she ends up that way round every time I don't know! This is something, slightly worryingly at her age, she still does (sometimes) to this day. As much as we try and discourage her!
Oh yeah and she also comes for walks with us! This began about 14 years ago when I first became poorly and was struggling to walk basically at all. Where we live is quite unusual in that there is no road directly outside our house it's a pretty kind of walkway. So I would go out for little walks along the path and for a long period of time I could only go out in my wheelchair. Both Molly & Mandy would love to come out, play, run about, climb trees and basically show off in front of me! This was a great distraction for me from my pain and was often hilarious. The neighbours knew us for 'taking the cats for a walk' we never let them stray near the road though. They both even knew what we meant when we called 'walkies' as they would rush to the front door! Mandy still loves to go for her walks with us to this day!
Random Facts About Mandy:
- Mandy is definitely one of those cats who thinks she's human.
- She is daft! Or special as I like to call her. There is never a dull moment when she's around.
- Burrowing is one of Mandy's favourite activities particularly under duvets, throws and inside pillow cases.
- She's never really 'got' how to play with regular cat toys! She's baffled by most things except string or ribbon.
- She is a very petite cat and always has been I think she stopped growing after about 6 months which is why she still looks like a kitten!
- Her tree climbing skills have never been as good as her sister Molly's (she was a pro!).
- She only sleeps on the most cushioned padded things, like the princess and the pea.
- She never gets hacked off or bored of being stroked. You could literally stroke her 24/7 and she'd love it!
- She's never bitten or scratched even as a kitten. I remember my 1 year old cousin trying to cuddle/squeeze her when she was only a few months and she just sat there.
- Like her Mama she's a sun worshipper. If there is a patch of sunlight she'll find it! Her jet black fur turns brown in the sun.
- We've given her many nicknames over the years including Scrappy, Honey, Munchkin and most recently Bean (due to her bean toes).
Mandy's Memorable Moments:
- That time we let her out the front door and she jumped straight up into a bush with her paws out like she was doing a star jump! A second later a tiny bird flew out the top. She remained stuck like that for a few seconds before she could get down.
- When she was little she loved dripping taps. She'd spend hours batting the droplets of water with her paw and sticking her face under!
- I've already mentioned she likes reversing in through my bedroom window. Well one time I came into my room to find her going forwards and backwards unable to fully reverse in due to the fact my window was only open a crack!
- A couple of years back she caught a bird in the front garden when we were out there. She was just bringing it over to us in her mouth when another, much younger, cat came streaking out of nowhere and stole it directly from her mouth!
- She regularly gets dive-bombed by seagulls, they seem to have a problem with her.
- That time she got inside a Next parcel and came out with the returns label stuck to her side. It took us ages to peel it off her!
- One of the first times I realised she had a thing with burrowing was when I was pottering around in my room and out of the corner of my eye noticed that my pillow was 'walking' across my bed! Naturally I had a brief freak out until I realised it was just Mandy burrowing inside my pillowcase.
- The last creature she caught happened to be on my Mums birthday 2 years ago. That cat is all about the perfect timing.
According to this Cat Age to Human Age Chart Mandy's 19 years equates to her being 92 in Human years so she's dong incredibly well! She is pretty deaf now which means she does yowl a lot and considering her minuscule size she can't half make some noise! She's also been on a renal diet for her kidney function for the past 18 months but has been getting on really well with it! However, she still so loving, affectionate and enjoys her life. I'm well aware how lucky we are to still have her with us and every birthday I fear it may be her last but she's a determined little soul! I think all the constant love and attention she gets from us is what keeps her going. We make the most of having her!
When my girls were just babies! Mandy (left, green collar) and Molly (right, red collar).
How adorable are they though?!
Haha this looks like a classic mother with her newborn shot!
Molly cuddling Mandy...
and Mandy cuddling Molly.
Another shot of Mandy and I when I was only 9 years old.
My sister had this image printed on a cushion for me for my birthday last year!
Did someone say surprised face?! She loves taking selfies with me.
We all love her little bean toes.
Did I mention she loves burrowing?! Burrowing is one of Mandy's favourite activities particularly under duvets, throws and inside pillow cases!
She loves getting into bags...
...and playing in wrapping paper.
Hahaha I can't actually remember what she'd done here but that's dust on her face so clearly she's been somewhere she shouldn't have!
Playing outside on one of her walks with us.
She enjoys wearing seasonal hats...
...posing for the camera...
...and photobombing my blog shoots!
This was a regular issue! One cat (in this case Mandy, can you tell from the bug eyes?!) wanting to come in through my window and the other wanting to remain sat on my window ledge not letting them in and me trying to negotiate! I love Molly's long suffering look here.
She's spent her birthday mostly sleeping in the sunshine and playing with her new catnip mice we got her for her. She also came on a birthday walk and had a good swear at some of the neighbourhood cats - one of her favourite pastimes!
Looking through all of these old photos has had me smiling and crying with laughter so much. I'm so proud of her and however much longer we have her with us I feel like I am the luckiest pet owner ever.
Happy Birthday Mandy!
