Happy family

Love at first sight

Maddox was not Sharon's first choice, as she first planned to adopt his sister. ‘I went there with the intention of buying his sister, a beige-coloured cat. When I saw him, I immediately fell in love. I have always wanted a grey cat, but the previous owner had not put Maddox online yet,’ she says. He felt right at home, he kept purring and playing with everything. However, it wasn't long before his brother Dexter came home. ‘At first, they didn't get along.... But one day I came home and saw them sleeping together on their scratching post, so I knew it would be fine.’

Spinning medicine

Sharon has always lived with cats and dogs, until she moved house and realised it was not possible for her to have a dog. That's when she decided to go for cats. Smart decision, Sharon! She wouldn't have it any other way. ‘My cats mean everything to me. I didn't know it could be so much fun to have cats! They both have their own character, as Maddox likes to cuddle and Dexter likes to play and play a lot,’ says Sharon. ‘They even help me cope with stress, because cuddling with a purring cat is the perfect remedy.’

It has been a stressful time for her since she recently had a baby with her boyfriend. Dexter is not very fond of strangers, so she was afraid he would not accept her baby. ‘He grew up on a farm, so he was not used to people looking after him. We never expected him to be so loving to our baby. He is the best cat we could have wished for,’ Sharon says.

Cats also love a manicure

If there is one drawback to having a cat, it is their pointy nails. They sometimes wanted to put those in the furniture. Luckily, we have a solution for that. Sharon bought the Catdream De Luxe, but found it a bit too big for her home. ‘We ended up giving it away to a fox shelter. Then I decided to buy a smaller one, the Royalty Blackline Dark Grey. It's in our living room because that's where we spend most of our time with the cats. They really need a sturdy one, though, as Maddox weighs over 6 kg.’