I've always had cats at home  for as long as i can remember, despite my dad not always being receptive to them! I think that a cat gives a house the feeling of 'home', many people think cats are unfriendly and sly, but i think that cats are like any other animal. If you treat them with love and show your willingness to being  their friend, then they are as loveable and loyal as dogs. The thing about being friends with a cat is that you have to EARN their friendship, it isn't automatic like with a puppy. A dog is a slave happy to have a master and will always protect them even if they are treated badly, a cat has more of the original wildness in it's heart and it's friendship has to be earned. This aspect, i believe, makes having a cat as a friend all the more rewarding!

KITCHY

This is my first ever cat, he was a ginger and white male named Kitchy, which means Kitty in Polish, original hey? He was the first kitten that my brother pulled out from under our friend's bed and proof that fate exists! Kitchy was fairly wild in his youth, we called him Jekyl and Hyde, one moment he'd be calm and peaceful, then he'd explode into furious action! Because he was so wild i didn't get to play with him very much, but as he matured he also grew calmer and more responsive to my bribery. In the last three or four years of his life he became MY cat, he'd sleep on my bed, help me eat my dinner and I'd be the one that was allowed to brush him. Kitchy did not like my brother very much for a while, and he was cautious of dad, but mum was definitely one of his favorite people, in fact, only she could get away with actually washing him in the tub! He died while i was at university of kidney failure. The last time i saw him it was as if we both knew it would be the last time, there was a feeling of peace and love that is hard to describe.

CHIP

It was too quiet in the house without a cat after Kitchy left us. Mum and I were miserable and dad could feel it, so he took mum to our local animal shelter and they picked out a cute ball of black and white fluff! The shelter has a policy of micro-chipping all their animals, so Chip he became! He was one of the most loving kittens i have ever met. He simply adored people, all people. We think he may have been taken from his mum too early as he had a rather annoying habit of sucking on your hands, cheek or ears! Usually as he was falling asleep. It was hilarious but really terrible at night as you had to sleep totally under the covers or he'd suck on you all night! We all loved him very much, even dad couldn't fake his dislike of him. Then tragedy struck and some evil person ran over him in our driveway. The sense of loss was overwhelming, no more would our little Chipper cuddle up to us in the evenings and suck our fingers, and no more would his soul-shaking purr greet us in the morning. Mum especially was devastated as Chip was definitly HER cat. That's when Lucky entered the scene.

LUCKY

The day after Chip passed away we were all still in shock. Dad and I went to Living Jungle to buy lorikeet feed and what should greet us the moment we stepped in? A cage full of black and white kittens, all almost identical to Chip! Dad and i froze and then both knew it was just meant to be. I stuck my finger into the cage and a little terror came jumping over and nipped me while trying to slice that finger off with a razor claw, the other kittens didn't even look at us so we knew we'd found the right one. I paid for the little devil and home we came. Mum was in bed, still terribly upset, when we presented her with a scared little fur ball. We decided to name him Lucky, just in case! Just like Kitchy, Lucky did not overly enjoy being with humans too much at first but is starting to really turn into a lap-sloth now. He is fat, sleek of fur and lording it over everyone! He is special friends with Sebastion. He is also is a bully to poor little Sonya!

SONYA as a kitten!

On a trip to go by pet-meat to our usual supplier, mum and i gave in and looked at the animals for sale. There were two little brown and black kittens in a cage. I was familiar with this litter because just a week before i had brought one for a friend (Katie) as a present. The lady at the shop saw us looking at the kittens and, because they knew us so well, she said 'Do you like them?' we said yes so she said we could have one for free as they really wanted to get them into homes! After much pleading and blackmail i convinced mum to let me take one home. I chose the one with the wide brown blaze down her face. We got her home, and dad just gave in without a fight. We couldn't think of a name so mum recommended Sonya, from her English show, and that soon was shorten to Sony. While Sony loves just about everyone, she is definitely my cat! I think it was because i spent a lot of time with her when she was a kitten. She has bouts of utter kitten-madness and then is more than happy to find a lap and settle down for a belly rub! She will contort herself into amazing shapes in your lap just so you can scratch the right place! When the kittens were with us, Sony appointed herself their teacher and guardian. I think she missed those kittens as much as i did when they left.

As a young adult