susan earlam ~ horror author

This post is in conjunction with Whiskas® but all thoughts are my own.

It is almost a year since we adopted our cat Billy, the 16th February to be exact.

We adopted Billy from a good friend of mine who was downsizing. A mutually beneficial adoption because it means they can still come and visit him (and me!) and I can ask any questions about his history that may come up. His former owners know how much he is loved here, and how well he has settled in.

Bill is a middle aged cat at the age of eight. This means he isn’t as active or lively as a kitten, although he has his moments. We brush him weekly, outside, which helps him maintain his coat and avoid furballs, as he loves to clean himself. We give him dry food which helps keeps his teeth in excellent condition and is suitable for middle age. Optimum nutrition also means his glorious coat stays shiny and fluffy, look at that belly fluff!

He has a habit in summer of drinking from any vessel that happens to be outside containing rainwater. So, as well as always having fresh water in a bowl next to his food, in summer we put another clean bowl on top of a small table outside for him. Middle aged cats can be prone to UTI’s, so we want to avoid this. Take a look at treats that can help with Cat Care He loves surveying his kingdom from a higher vantage point and with the clean water I know he’s not drinking anything he shouldn’t, and that he is getting enough.

Billy is a Bengal Cross, his mum a pure Bengal and his dad a big ginger tom cat… This explains his size! One of the things my pal told me about Billy, and Bengal’s in general, was that they are a bit like dogs, I took this to mean that he likes being played with, but its so much more.

Okay, to all you non cat people reading, this might sound mad. He has different facial expressions. Ranging from interested, to happy, to worried. Billy could win an Oscar for method acting. See below:

If you follow me over on Instagram, you’ll see him regularly pop up in my Stories, usually sleeping or looking very cute.

Some more of Billy’s quirks are;

• He wants to come out with us when we leave the house, looking so sad and forlorn on the stairs as he watches us go.
• Like a dog he is protective of us, especially the kids. There’s been a couple of times when we’ve all been asleep at night and one of them has had a nightmare and been calling out, but we’ve not heard. Though Billy has, and he’ll start meowing loudly to to wake us up. Only when he knows everyone is okay, he’ll settle back down again.
• When I’m not feeling great, usually down to endometriosis and that time of the month, he’ll often insist I sit down and rest. Leaping onto my lap like a much needed furry hot water bottle.
• He LOVES attention, making himself look as cute as possible so we give him a fuss and a cuddle.
• When we have a cup of tea in the evening whilst watching something, he’ll look at us like, “Where’s mine?”
• He goes on our pergola, but forgets he doesn’t know how to get down. So there’ll be a little face at the bedroom window, often startling me as I’m putting laundry away.
• He loves voices. If I’m on the phone to my husband he’ll come running over and start rubbing his head all over me and the phone. He does this with any kind of video played through a phone too, like he’s just sooo, interested in what you are watching.

Have you got a cat? What are their quirks?