Every week we look for interesting stories about cats and their owners. This week we spoke with Elize, who lives together with her husband Gerard and their daughter Lente in The Netherlands (NL). Elize and Gerard have always had cats, but after the loss of their cat Willem, she felt that she would never take a cat into the house again. "We lost our cat Willem because he was hit by a car. I felt that my heart couldn't handle it, so I wasn't planning to get a new cat," explains Elize.
Caring for animals
Elize is the mother of Lente, who is now six years old. "Lente is the reason we decided to get another cat. I think it's very important to show her how to take care of animals, so we started looking for a furry friend," says Elize. "We saw an online ad for a cat, which was being sold by a breeder abroad. Once we had him, I noticed how bad he looked. When he stepped out of the basket, I could only think: 'I'm so glad you're here, I will take care of you, little boy.'" Since he joined their family, he has been doing much better.
He responded immediately to Jochem, so that's how we decided to call him
At first, they didn't know what to name him, the only thing they knew was that they didn't want a standard name. "We came up with a few names, which we all started calling. He immediately responded to Jochem, so that's how we came up with his name," she explains.
Since they have Jochem, Elize has an extra pair of helping hands... Or paws? "Jochem is my best friend, he follows me everywhere I go. Whether I'm washing dishes, doing laundry, cooking, ... You name it, he's there," Elize says. "He is always close to me."
Love at first scent
A few months later, the family decided to get another boy. "The litter was found on the street in Bulgaria, and we were planning to go for a cream-colored male kitten. Once we met him, he didn't pay any attention to us. His brother, on the other hand, was very interested. It's as if he chose us!", says Elize. "He walked up to my daughter, started sniffing her, and then decided to lie on her hood. In the end, we chose him instead of his brother, whom we originally wanted to take home."
My cat chose my daughter
Bringing him in was not exactly the easiest task, because Jochem was not amused at all by his arrival. "He was like, 'what's going on?!', but luckily they got used to each other quite quickly," she says. "However, we had no idea what to name him. Then our daughter Lente came up with the idea to call him Jonas. It took a while before she gave him the right name, because for a year she only called him 'Dikkie Dik'," she says laughing. He does want a lot of attention, Elize says. "He is neutered just like Jonas, but he is so dominant. It's as if we have to do what he wants, whenever he wants," she says. They even went to the vet twice with him to make sure the neutering went well!
Although she adores the two, Elize wouldn't choose two cats again. "If I were to get two cats again, I want them to come from the same litter."
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Black cats bring luck
01.07.2022
According to ancient superstition, black cats bring bad luck; they were even associated with witchcraft and the devil. Today, the saying "black cats bring bad luck" is still known, and some people still take it into account. Research even shows that black cats stay longer in shelters than cats of other colors. How incredibly sad! We believe that all cats can only bring happiness regardless of the color of their fur.
In this blog, cat lovers share a moment of happiness with their black cat!
