Lois keeps her cats inside

Accident

Fred is 20 years old, but 15 years ago he almost died in a collision. ‘He was not doing well and I was so scared I was going to lose him. I had to keep him in a cage for nine months so he could heal properly and I took him to the vet very often to have his injuries checked,’ says Lois.

Head over heels

After Fred lost his brother Barney, Lois decided to find him a new friend. She took two ragdolls from a breeder and she named them Pebbles and Dolly. Unfortunately, they too died. ‘I started looking again and got in touch with Louie and Maddie. However, I only wanted one cat, but the breeder told me they had been brought back by a police officer who could not tolerate their long white fur anywhere. Why go for an animal if you are not willing to put up with the fur?’, Lois tells us.

‘Louie and Maddie hadn't approached anyone before until they saw me and my son, so that was the deciding factor for me. It's like they chose me. I didn't really have anything to say about it, I guess.’ So Lois took the two home.

She also fell a little in love with Cookie. ‘I saw a picture and I immediately fell in love. She is my first Maine Coon, so I didn't know what to expect, but she is so loyal and cuddly,’ says Lois.

Companions

Lois wouldn't trade them for anything, as she sees her cats as buddies for life. ‘They mean the world to me, although if you ask me that again at 4am when Fred starts screaming for food, I might say something else,’ she says jokingly. ‘I just can't think of any downsides.’

Lois has a few scratching posts, she even convinced her son to buy some too. ‘I personally can't recommend them highly enough, I've had others in the past and they don't compare. I also got my son to buy a few because I look after his cats when he is away. His cats were in love with my trees, so he had to buy some for them too,’ says Lois.

Like most cats, Fred likes to relax in the hammocks. Louie always lies on top of the tree, Cookie prefers to have the tree in the front room all to herself and Maddie crawls wherever she can.