Category Interviews

Interview with Artist Quint Cole – He’s a Cat! – Katzenworld

by Interviews

28
Feb

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing a true cat artist— No not an artist who paints cats, but a cat who paints artwork! Quint Cole, of Colehaus Cats, has been painting from a young age. Here is his story:

~Please tell us a little about yourself.

I don’t know what there is to tell. I’m a quiet kind of kitty. Sure, I get hyper sometimes, and sometimes, I want to bother my sisters, but who doesn’t? I am thankful that my humans saw my creativity and energy and directed me into paths like my painting to combine them into a way to express both at the same time.

~How did you begin your painting career? How did the humans come to know you were an artist?

I used to create from the specks of toothpaste I found on the bathroom mirror. Pawing at them, I quickly saw art and that the variations could be endless. The humans must have picked up on that and had a desire to channel my energy. Pretty much, my human Mom looked at what she saw as smears every day and said, “Um, no. Let’s take this somewhere else.”

~What is your artistic process?

Usually, Mom picks up on my restlessness and gets my cardboard ‘studio’ together. Then, she puts together some paint blobs in a shallow bowl (in colors similar to what’s blooming outside) and something to paint on. By this time, I am more than ready to begin. When everything’s ready, including having a mousie or special toy nearby, we get to work! I touch some color and touch the paper. Sometimes, I create bold streaks, sometimes hard paw prints and sometimes I get all soft and delicate. It all depends on my mood for the day. Sometimes I’m cranky and me and Mom tussle a bit over the creation stuff, but then I get lots of scritches and attention.

~I know your paints are safe, but do you ever lick your painty paws?

No. Ugh. I won’t even touch my mousie if he gets paint on him, accidentally, of course. After Mom cleans my paws, I’ll lick them then. Just not before.

~Who chooses your colors? They are beautiful.

Thank you for mentioning that. I do like the colors Mom sets out. Once mixed, I mostly get to pick which ones to use. Ultimately, it’s a collaboration, I suppose. I do have favorite colors. Sometimes, I like painting with just purples and yellow. How I love yellow! I like oranges and apricots quite a bit too. But that yellow color, did I mention I like yellow?

~I read that you take inspiration walks to see the blooming flowers before you paint. Which flowers are your favorites?

I like them all, but l love Dad’s pink Rhododendrons the best. It’s big and in spring, is covered with flowers. Oh, and petunias. I like sticking my nose in petunias.

~Since cats don’t use money, at least not directly, what happens to funds from the sale of your artwork?

Early on, I donated to the shelter my foster family worked through, or a charity for a shelter’s benefit. Sometimes, someone needs funds for doctor visits or that kind of thing. I like it best when I hear that I’m helping a cause or a cat in need with my efforts. A very small amount is needed for my supplies. My Mom buys in bulk!

~You have quite a big family. Tell us about your fur-brothers and -sisters.

There are both the current residents of Colehaus and those that came before us. The Dad explains it best, I think. He’s told us stories of all other kitties who came before us. Those are some of my favorite Dad-time stories. I love the way he explains that each cat is special, no matter how short or how long they are part of the family. He says each one leaves a lasting impression and sweet memory in his heart and in Mom’s too. Our Colehaus Cats blog is our way of allowing the world to see how exceptional and distinctive rescued kitties are and perhaps, a reader might feel so moved as to rescue and love a kitty or two themselves and further enrich their own lives.

~Your human family actively works to benefit cats. Can you tell me a bit more about what they do?

Outside cats just seem to find my Mom and Dad; always have, they’ll tell you. We live out where people used to abandon pets to fend for themselves and someone would always be in need of food, shelter and/or medical help. My Mom and Dad along with our cat blog friends raised money for a couple of feeding stations and two sturdy feral shelters that have warming beds inside. All are used regularly especially during winter months. A few years ago Mom was a volunteer at a local shelter, painting their walls and photographing new intakes while Dad served on the shelter’s board of directors. But it’s not just cats. Sometimes, they simply feed and provide water and shelter for birds and other wildlife. It seems they always have something keeping them busy, which I suppose is a good thing because it keeps them out of trouble.

~Thanks so much, Quint, for spending time with us. It isn’t every day we meet such a talented feline. I hope all our readers will look up your website and buy your paintings! I realize that like all true artists, you paint only when you feel the muse, so folks who want one of these unique originals shouldn’t hesitate to purchase.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quint’s Art Shop is currently closed, but we hope he will be back in business soon. More news here. He still has a few left.

Here is one of my favorites: 

Quint’s Winter Berries, 2017 on Art Paper with 8 x 10 Inch White Mat. ($15.00)

Links: 

Blogsite: https://www.colehauscats.com/

cats@colehaus.com

About Mollie Hunt: Native Oregonian Mollie Hunt has always had an affinity for cats, so it was a short step for her to become a cat writer. Mollie Hunt writes the Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery series featuring Lynley Cannon, a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Cat Seasons sci-fantasy tetralogy where cats save the world. She also pens a bit of cat poetry.

Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, and NIWA. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like Lynley, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: www.lecatts.wordpress.com

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/

@MollieHuntCats

Share this:

  • More

Like this:

Like Loading…

Leslie Cobb, Cat Artist – An Interview – Katzenworld

by Interviews

14
Feb

My guest today is Northwest Cat Artist Leslie Cobb. Leslie is an amazing person whom I have the pleasure to know personally. She is part artist, part cat advocate, and part kitty angel. Her home is filled with bright colors and special needs cats. You may recognize Leslie’s artwork from the covers of my Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery series. Her paintings are featured on the 7 published books and will continue with the next in the series.

~Leslie, when did you start your art journey? Was it something you set out to do or did the muse take you?

Leslie: In 1998, my 19-year-old one-eyed cat Esmeralda passed away. I was devastated. I had been present when she was born (my sister and I rescued her pregnant mother, who died shortly after giving birth) so she had been a huge part of my life. I had always planned to commission an artist to do a portrait of her and I was upset that I had waited too long. While going through photos of her to see if I had any that an artist could use as reference, it occurred to me that no one knew her as well as I did, and maybe I should try it. After all, if it didn’t turn out as I hoped, I could still look for someone else to paint her. I found some old brushes and mostly-dried-out paints in my storage area and gave it a try. That first effort was truly awful but it reminded me that I once loved art.

~But you didn’t stop there. What prompted you to continue painting after doing Esmeralda’s portrait?

Leslie: I enjoyed the process enough to give it another try, and I started a series of paintings showing Esmeralda as an angel, sometimes watching over my other two cats. Those paintings turned out to be the best possible grief therapy. Once I got started, I couldn’t stop! I found myself craving a lot of bright colors, which is one of the things people tend to notice about my art. Seeing how much more cheerful I felt when surrounded by color, I even completely redecorated my house, getting rid of furniture and home décor in neutral shades and replacing everything with vibrantly colored pieces. The paintings of Esmeralda are shown on my website as the Guardian Angel Series. Over time I found myself able to let go of my grief and do paintings in which she didn’t appear.

~Did you always paint cats? What is it about cats that pique your imagination?

Leslie: Yes, I only paint cats! Around the time I was born, the family cat had a litter of kittens, and I crawled around the floor with them. There hasn’t been a time since when I didn’t have at least one cat in my life. I’ve always believed that people who don’t like cats are just people who haven’t taken the time to get to know what cats are really like. Cats love unconditionally; they possess the most amazing grace and fluidity in their movements; and they’re just so much fun to have around. Years ago someone jokingly suggested that I had imprinted on cats when I was a baby the way ducklings imprint on the first creature they see after hatching. That would explain a lot!

Don’t Stop Believing

~Do you have formal art training or are you self-taught— or a bit of both?

Leslie: I had always enjoyed drawing as a child and took art classes through high school and even a few life drawing courses at a local college in my early 20s but didn’t pursue it further. I did a few crafts, such as hand-painted t-shirts and paperclay jewelry I designed and painted to sell at a few little craft fairs. But moving from those small pieces to a full canvas requiring a composition, color theme, and background was a big leap that was somewhat daunting at first. 

~Are the cats in your paintings all real cats that you know?

Leslie: No. Initially, after painting Esmeralda and my own cats, I started doing paintings in which I made up cats in various situations. For a number of years, I was showing my work at an art gallery which did a new themed group show every month. To be considered, each piece had to match the theme for that month. I worked hard at making a cat painting fit the theme so I could be in every show! But that all changed in 2009.

First Date

~What happened then?

Leslie: I volunteered at Best Friends Animal Society’s sanctuary in Utah and was overwhelmed by their work in saving special needs animals. I was inspired to do an 18-painting series based on my experiences at the sanctuary. Each painting is intended to raise awareness about an important topic, such as hoarding, animal cruelty, declawing, shy or fearful cats, and cats with various health problems or special needs. Each print sold from that group of paintings, shown on my website as the Sanctuary Series, has information on the back about Best Friends and about the issue that inspired me to do that painting. I also donate $5 from the sale of each of those prints back to Best Friends. I realized then that my art could be used to help animals, so since then I’ve done paintings inspired by other groups doing important work for cats, such as Shadow Cats in Texas, Tabby’s Place in New Jersey, Cat Town in California, Little Woman Home for Animals in Texas, and others. In each case, I donate $5 from print sales to the organization caring for the cat featured in the painting. Of course I still paint my own cats!

That’s wonderful that you donate a portion of sales to cat causes! It makes your paintings even more special.

More Than Just a Pretty Face

~Can someone commission you to paint their cat? How do you decide what cats to paint?

Leslie: I don’t do any commissioned work. I paint pretty slowly and I have way too many paintings backed up in my head that I still need to get on canvas! Something about a specific cat has to inspire me, and I gravitate more toward those with special needs or a compelling story. When people tell me about their cats and want me to paint them, sometimes a cat will fit my criteria and I’ll decide to do the painting. The pet owner will get a free print and will have the opportunity to purchase the original painting but isn’t obligated to buy it.

~You mentioned you may do a painting of Lux, the Portland cat who made viral media news a few years back when he aggressively attacked his people, driving them to call 911. As you know, I fostered Lux for celebrity cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy and was set to adopt him, but he became more violent than I could handle. Best Friends took him in and worked with him, and recently he went to a forever home. Lux certainly has a compelling story! 

Leslie: He certainly does, not to mention that he’s a gorgeous cat! I took a lot of photos of him on my last visit and I do hope to paint him. I keep a mental list of cats I want to feature in a painting, and while there are several ahead of him, he’s definitely on the list.

~Besides painting cats, you are a dedicated cat advocate. Tell us about your experiences in fostering, volunteering, and adopting.

Leslie: In addition to volunteering for Best Friends, which I do every year, I briefly volunteered for Cat Town in Oakland, CA at the first cat café in the U.S., and this past year I helped with the Pretty Kitty Holiday Bazaar to benefit House of Dreams in Portland, OR. Until a year ago, I had a full time job and didn’t have much time for volunteering. I’ve tried fostering a few times but I came to the realization that I’m more comfortable just adopting so I have the authority to decide what veterinary treatment a cat in my care receives.

Tongue Tied

~You have an entire clowder of senior and special needs cats. Tell us about them.

Leslie: With nine cats I’ve got a full house for sure! Tallulah Jane has been with me the longest. She’s 15, and I’ve had her since she was 6 weeks old. Someone actually gave her to me while I was in my booth at an art festival! She was very ill and wasn’t expected to survive, but she pulled through and is the love of my life. For years she came to my art fairs and hung out in a cozy bed on a table in my booth, greeting my customers. It was a sad day when I realized she no longer enjoyed going with me. She has a weak immune system and damaged sinus passages from infections when she was a tiny kitten.

I adopted Riley as a companion for Tallulah once she recovered from her illness. I took her to an adoption event and she chose him. He has a malformed epiglottis, which makes his breathing very loud at times and puts him at greater risk of aspiration pneumonia. He’s also 15 years old.

Annabel is 14, and she has what’s known as a symblepharon; she had a severe eye infection shortly after birth before her eyes had even opened. As it healed, her third eyelid split and a portion of it adhered to her cornea with scar tissue. That eye doesn’t open all the way and looks abnormal, but she isn’t in pain and she still has some vision in it.

Genevieve, who’s 12, also has a symblepharon but not as severe as Annabel’s. A rescue group was having trouble getting her eye infections (she had 4 different infections at once) under control, so I offered to bring her home and take her to a veterinary eye specialist. Once she recovered, I decided to keep her since she got along so well with the rest of the gang.

Saffron is my youngest at 6 years old. At just 6 weeks old, she had been found trapped in an outboard motor; her tail was broken and her pelvis was fractured in two places when I adopted her the day after her rescue. Her tail still hangs limply but her pelvis healed well. She’s a bit of a brat and likes to ambush other cats at the litter box. We’re working on that.

Herman came to me in 2016; his human mom had died the same day I lost my own mother. The hospice coordinator for both women asked me about options to rehome him and I offered to take him myself. He’s 15 and has chronic kidney disease.

Nico is my oldest, estimated to be 19 or 20. He was around 18 when I saw a photo of him on Facebook. His owner was terminally ill and could no longer care for him so he had been taken to a shelter. He had a severely damaged eye that had to be removed but he recovered well and is pretty healthy overall.

Delaney is 15 and has been with me less than a year. There was an electrical fire that destroyed her home and she rescued herself by squeezing out through a mail slot. But because of the fire, her owner could no longer care for her so I agreed to take her. She was transported to me from California by volunteers with a group called The Catz Meow.

My newest kitty is Winifred, who is 14. She was at a California shelter because of her owner’s medical issues, and after two months without any adoption interest, she was in danger of euthanasia. I was planning a trip to the area for the holidays, so a friend agreed to foster her until I could bring her home when I returned from my trip. She’s mostly deaf but very sweet. She hasn’t yet been integrated into the rest of the family.

Going Home

~Where can we find your artwork?

Leslie: My website is www.lesliecobb.com, and my Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/Cat-Art-by-Leslie-Cobb-187037681358852/. I’m fairly new to Oregon and although I’ve applied for several shows this year, I haven’t yet been notified whether I’ll be accepted.

My website doesn’t have an online shopping cart, but if anyone sees something they are interested in, they can email me at catart@lesliecobb.com and we can make arrangements that way.

~Thanks so much, Leslie Cobb, for visiting with us today. Keep painting!

About Mollie Hunt: Native Oregonian Mollie Hunt has always had an affinity for cats, so it was a short step for her to become a cat writer. Mollie Hunt writes the Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery series featuring Lynley Cannon, a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Cat Seasons sci-fantasy tetralogy where cats save the world. She also pens a bit of cat poetry.

Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, and NIWA. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like Lynley, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: www.lecatts.wordpress.com

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/

@MollieHuntCats

Share this:

  • More

Like this:

Like Loading…

Interviews with Celebrity Cats: Doozer the Ragdoll – Katzenworld

by Interviews

31
Oct

In our latest instalment of celebrity cats, we meet Doozer the Bluepoint Ragdoll who is (almost) 5 years old and his servants, Caz and Wain of Basingstoke, who dutifully record his furry escapades for cat lovers on Instagram.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

How would you describe Doozer’s character? Playful, cute, floppy, cheeky, friendly, crazy at times!

Does he have any special characteristics or abilities? Big Blue Eyes, Fluffy tail and the loudest meow and purr!

Have you always been a ‘cat’ person?  Caz says, ‘I have always been a cat person, I grew up with a ginger moggy cat. Wain was a dog person for most his life – until he met and owned Doozer and now he is the biggest convert.’

How did you get Doozer? What endeared you to him?
Wain says, ‘I wanted to get a special surprise birthday present for Caz for her 30th birthday. Knowing how much she liked cats, I made it my mission to find her an extra special one. I am allergic to cats, but I did some research into breeds and found that house cats are ideal if you are allergic, because quite often its not the cats people are allergic to it’s the dust and pollen they collect on their fur if they go out. I looked up breeds of housecat and ragdolls stood out because of their friendly floppy cuddly nature. I found a breeder local to us, who was breeding for the first time. I contacted her about a year before Caz’s 30th and arranged to bring Caz to her to pick out one of the litter a few months before her birthday.

Caz says, ‘I had no idea Wain had planned this and was blown away when we turned up at the breeders house, what a great surprise! Wain said as the breeder answered the door “we are here to pick out a kitten”! I was so happy! The litter was 5 mitted girls and 2 blue point boys. We chose Doozer because he was sleeping quietly on the chair, so we thought he looked calm and cute. He had a slight heart murmur when we chose him and the breeder asked us to pick a back up kitten in case it got worse. We knew in our minds we wanted Doozer no matter what however, so when he got the all clear we were so happy!’

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Have you got any funny stories about Doozer?
We have so many funny stories, Doozer is a cheeky little rascal. Since going out into his new ‘Protectapet’ garden, he has found new spaces to explore. One being the garage, it’s like an amazing new world to him! He meows in pure excitement and joy every time he sets foot in there, however one day he decided to jump up into the rafters! We knew he wouldn’t be able escape out of the garage so we weren’t worried, we always thought he might try to jump up there by climbing onto Wain’s van. So Doozer jumped up and sniffed and rummaged around for a bit. I called him down but he was having far to much fun it seemed, until I heard about 30 minutes later a quiet and cute “meow”… I looked up and could see these two big blue eyes looking down at me – he didn’t know how to get down!! Safe to say after a little coaxing encouragement he jumped down onto a safe part of the van, and hasn’t been up there since!!

Caz says, ‘The other funny thing he does we have discovered is he responds to whistling. This was found out by accident one day, as I walked around the house whistling he followed me meowing very loudly, I knelt down and whistled to him and he came up to me! Now if he is in his ‘Protectapet’ garden and we need him to come in, I stand at the door and whistle and he comes in. Or if I want cuddles on the bed I whistle. Its almost like we have trained him like a dog!!’

What is his favourite thing to do?
Doozer LOVES to patrol his garden, we will let him out and he wanders around with his tail straight up, sniffing and walking around his fence! He also likes to watch the pigeons on the neighbours roof, chase bugs and jump and catch flies! He also likes to play hide and seek with Wain! And when he isn’t doing all of that he loves to sleep and flop on his back, rolling around with his belly in the air for cuddles.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Why did you bring ProtectaPet in and what impact has the cat fence had on your and Doozer’s lives?
ProtectaPet has transformed our lives! We kept Doozer as a housecat for 2 years, but it was challenging. We couldn’t open the windows properly or keep the patio doors open – in the summer this made our lives hard work. Doozer was also desperate to go out, he is a housecat at heart but a lack of fresh air and sunshine was getting him down and he would have so much energy he would seem wound up! So we looked up garden fencing and cat containment systems. It was a friend who suggested Protectapet through Facebook, we liked the look of the product and how reasonable it seemed to cost. I emailed for a quote and within a few weeks we had purchased the product. We decided to install it ourselves and the first time we ever let Doozer out was amazing! We wished we had installed it much sooner when we first got Doozer.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Doozer absolutely loves his garden and we have total piece of mind that he cant escape at all – this has been proven by the neighbours cat who jumped into the garden, but when realising it didn’t want to be there any more panicked and tried to jump out but couldn’t! I had to show it the gate. So we have full confidence in Doozer spending time in his garden unsupervised. He sits out there now even when its raining, and sleeps behind a bush where we cant see him, the little rascal! But he always comes in when called and we don’t let him out when we aren’t home, he is fine with that as he is a house cat after all so he has the best of all worlds. He is our world and we couldn’t imagine our life without our little fluffball!

Are there any social media accounts people can use to see more of Doozer?
If you’d like to see more of Doozer’s escapades, you can follow him on instagram @doozerthecat

Share this:

  • More

Like this:

Like Loading…

Interviews with Celebrity Cats: Percy the Glitterglam Bengal – Katzenworld

by Interviews

03
Oct

In this latest edition of our interviews with celebrity cats, we meet Percy, the four year old Glitterglam Bengal, owned and loved by Amanda of Shrewsbury. ProtectaPet first met Percy last year when his loving Mum commissioned a steel framed cat balcony for Percy. Since then, Percy’s 1000 strong Twitter audience have seen Percy use the balcony to stalk pigeons, spy on the neighbours’ dogs, sunbathe, climb the balcony furniture and survey the views. Here we speak to Amanda a little bit more about Percy’s character…How would you describe Percy’s character?

Lively, inquisitive, charming, gentle and funny. Bengals are unique in many ways, some can be quite shy, others like Percy are very confident and enjoy meeting new people – he is pretty sure of himself and even the Dyson doesn’t bother him, in fact he chases it! Sally at the cattery he goes to – Willow Tree Cat Hotel in Baschurch, Shropshire, says he is a time waster and a crowd pleaser!

Does Percy have any special characteristics or abilities?

He loves to play fetch and will actually bring toys to me if he wants to play, he’ll particularly do this if I am talking to other people/on the phone #attentionseeking! He is very gentle and cute, he loves to throw himself onto the floor – does a drop shoulder type of thing and in the morning he literally throws himself against me in bed.

Have you always been a ‘cat’ person?

Yes, I have had cats pretty much all my life. For the past 13 years or so I have had Bengals. I started off with two male kittens, Boris & Bertie – I actually didn’t know what had hit me, they were crazy, but after a few months I was smitten. These two cats ruled my life (I was happy with that), and I was devastated when Boris was run over and killed five years ago, he was eight years old. Bertie, however, was delighted to be the only cat and so for two & a half years we enjoyed a far calmer existence. At two years old Boris & Bertie ‘fell out’ and for six years I had major issues with them fighting, it was very stressful.

How did you get Percy? What endeared you to him?

I believe sometimes things happen for a reason. I had been looking at Bertie thinking he wasn’t quite right, but he was a very highly strung cat and taking him to the vets was extremely traumatic. I happened to be on Facebook and the picture I have attached of Percy (who was then called Spot!), appeared in my timeline. He had been returned to the breeder (Glitterglam) through no fault of his own, and he was now looking for a new home.

I thought he looked gorgeous, such a cute face and he looked a bit bewildered. I commented on the photo saying if it wasn’t for the fact I had a Bengal who wouldn’t be happy with a new house mate, I’d have him. I thought nothing more.

Over the next few days my life was turned upside down as Bertie became very poorly, I obviously took him to the vets and we were back there every day for four very stressful days – they finally decided to scan him and discovered he had a cancerous tumour. I had to decide what to do – knowing my cat as i did I knew he wouldn’t cope well with the after care and restrictions on going outside, not to mention the visits to the vets. I was told the cancer would come back within a few months as it was in his lymph nodes. I had to do the right thing for him and let him go. I was distraught.

I live on my own and the thought of coming home to a empty flat depressed me, it was early December and I couldn’t face the idea of a long break from work over Christmas without something to distract me. I thought that cat on Facebook is meant for me!

I contacted the breeder and couldn’t believe he was still available. I arranged to go over to Peterborough the following Saturday. When I first met Percy I was amazed at how soft his fur was, I picked him up (in my experience Bengals don’t much like being picked up), but he lay over my shoulder and I felt we were made for each other. I should point out he hates being picked up most of the time!

Jill was happy for me to have him, and I popped him in a new carrier and we set off for a long drive home. He was as good as gold all the way home – this was a new experience for me as Boris & Bertie had both been very vocal travellers, Percy (as I had already renamed him), just gave the occasional loud meow to remind me he was there.

Having had the horrific experience of Boris being run over, I was determined Percy would be a house cat. I was pleased to learn from the breeder that he had been a house cat in his previous home, so at least I could relax knowing he wouldn’t want to be trying to get out.

Have you got any funny stories about Percy?

He constantly makes me laugh, he has appeared on Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud. On another occasion, I was just quietly watching the TV and I heard rustling, he came walking towards me with his head held high as he was actually carrying a three pack of loo roll! He loves loo rolls so these have to be hidden away at all times! 

I always wonder what I am going to come home to; I store all his toys on top of his scratch post, I will often find he has pushed them all onto the floor, pulled all the throws off the sofas and even dislodged the big heavy cushions! He pulled my bedroom curtains down fairly early on by hanging off them!What is his favourite thing to do?

His favourite thing to do is probably playing fetch with one of his cute toys – particularly fond of a Kong Turtle which is filled with catnip. He likes to dunk his toys in his water bowl (messy!), so we always have one or two drying out somewhere. Given half the chance he likes to rummage in my handbag looking for packets of tissues – I have had to ban him from tissues as the dust was making him cough.

Why did you bring ProtectaPet in and what impact has the cat balcony had on your and Percy’s lives?

As I mentioned above I wanted to keep Percy as a house cat. Where we were living was a ground floor flat, but there was no way I was going to be able to secure the outside area as I’d not get permission from my fellow apartment owners. So I decided to move.

I found a brand new property and the developers were happy with the idea of me somehow securing the balcony area. The sales lady even started googling looking for ideas as to how this area could be made safe for Percy. I spent hours on Google myself, and then I came across ProtectaPet – WOW this was just what I needed. I decided to secure the balcony, which gives Percy enough space to enjoy the sun on his fur and watch the birds, and other things cats find interesting.

The day Ian and Sam came to fit the system the weather was shocking. But they worked so hard and with great care and attention to detail – no gaps or places Percy could escape – and fitted the bespoke containment system in around 10 hours.

I have bifold doors onto the balcony area and it has been wonderful to have these doors open for me to enjoy the feeling of the outside inside, and Percy just loves being out in a bit of fresh air. It has worked perfectly for us and we are both so happy with it. Despite it being black mesh, you really don’t notice it, it is very subtle. I have a footpath at the bottom of my garden and I often see people stopping, clearing wondering what it’s all about. In fact I recently had a trades person in the property and he said he’d thought I had birds – do you have any bird clients? He was intrigued to see it was all for Percy.

Thanks for all your time and fabulous insights into the life of Percy, Amanda. If KatzenWorld readers would like to see more of Percy’s antics, you can catch him on twitter @Percy_BengalCat.

Share this:

  • More

Like this:

Like Loading…