CAT MAN MONDAY: He’s Single, Belgian, and Has Six Cats

 

My name is Micha and I’m a freelance graphic designer, and amateur photographer living in a small village in West-Flanders, Belgium. I volunteer at an animal shelter and am an activist against animal abuse of all kinds from puppy mills and animal testing to cat hunting.* I also write about cats on my Facebook page, We Are Super Cats and make cat furniture for my cats just for fun.

 * In Belgium there was a law that hunters (who hunt foxes, rabbits and wildlife birds) can shoot wild cats, cats without owners or just cats with no visual tag who do have an owner.

As far back as I can remember I’ve been surrounded by cats. As a baby I got a stuffed animal of a red cat with a sailor outfit, it never left my side through holidays or kindergarten. Believe it or not I still have it to this day 37 years later. It’s a bit faded these days and, euhm, no I don’t carry it with me!

My First Cats: Minoes & Minneke

One day towards the end of the 70’s a young grey tabby was found underneath our family car. She was not wounded but was obviously a stray. My mother was against taking it inside first, but my sister and I promised to take care of her forever and ever and ever. Minoes, as we named her, was a very sweet and mellow cat.

At the time no one spayed or neutered their cats, so Minoes gave birth to kittens. From that litter we kept one calico cat and called it Minneke.  Video of Minoes and her first kittens.

 

At some point Minneke ran away, but Minoes lived with us for 12 years and died of a cancer. The day I came back from school and my mum said the vet had to euthanize Minoes. I was devastated.

Radjah
10 years passed without cats until a girlfriend told me some friends of her were looking for a home for a kitten from a Russian Blue/Chartreux litter. It was love at first sight. A tiny silver coated green-eyed fur ball. I called her Radjah.

Radjah loves to climb upon my shoulder and other high objects to see the world from a better vantage point, something she learned from her father they said 🙂

 

 

Miio

5 years later I was at work when suddenly a tiny calico cat was spotted in the parking lot. Co-workers waved me down because they knew I had a way with cats. I took the cheese from my sandwich and she instantly ran towards me. You could see she’d not eaten for days, and mewed like a fire truck. It sounded like “miiow,” so I called her Milo.

Miio will always be my little girl, weighing only 3.5kg. She’s my TV buddy, always sleeping on my chest when I watch a show.

 

 

 

Bowie & Jolie

When I first saw Bowie at the animal shelter – a longhaired red male – I knew in a split second I had to have him. He was scheduled to be TNR’d and already had a tippped ear because he was feral. Bowie had a sister Jolie who was extremely scared and also would be TNR’d. I knew I could win Bowies heart, but I had to adopt his sister too, as they were inseparable. I couldn’t bear the thought of those two beautiful cats outside, so I took them in.

 

 

They’re both so sweet and cuddly. Bowie is always first to greet me when I come home from work, licking my hands and rolling over asking for a belly rub. Jolie has the cutest meow and loves to stare at me. When I go to sleep she’s first to jump on the bed to get the best spot.

 

The last couple of years I’ve had an invasion of cats, but I’m determent to have no more then 6. Yes 6. Numbers 5 and 6 came shortly after Bowie & Jolie.
Kuro

I asked my sister to come over for a drink one day and when I opened the door she looked confused and asked me, “Do you have a black cat also?” I was telling her I didn’t when suddenly a black cat swiftly invited himself into my home. He was super friendly and it was as-if he were saying, ‘Hey, here I am, I know you got food, gimme, gimme, gimme…’
The next day I asked around the neighborhood and made flyers asking if anyone had lost a black cat. 3 weeks later no one claimed him. Secretly I was happy because he really is the funny one of the bunch, always making me laugh with his goofy facial expressions. I think he’s a bit ADHD. On the other hand he’s the one who nurses the others, cleaning there eyes and ears, and snuggling against them when they sleep.

 

 

Fluffy

At the animal shelter I worked with a little abandoned grey longhair female cat. She always used to hide behind her sleeping box and was extremely scared – perhaps because she was captured by factory workers who chased her with broomsticks. When she came to the shelter she had knots in her coat and smelled terribly, her fur full of dirt and oil from the machinery.

She was also covered in fleas so we had to shave parts of her coat. The vet marked her a feral, but we worked so hard to socialize her that she touch my heart. So I said ‘No way, I’ll keep her myself.” So that is how Fluffy became cat number 6.

I am single and might be considered an introverted person, but I compensate in being an extravert when I advocate for animals and cats in particular. Yes I sometimes get a weird look, or may have a one-way conversation when I’m going on about cats. I’m a listener, but I appreciate it if I get heard sometimes too.

I haven’t dated for a while and am aware that 6 cats can be a barrier to many women (I sense it without it being said). But sharing cat-moments with someone would definitely make me happy.

 

I’m really blessed with my cats, they give me unconditional love I rarely find in people I meet. They may not talk back, but what I feel and makes me happy is REAL. Yes I may say I’m in love with my cats and if the day comes one of them stand before the Bridge it will be like loosing a family member.

You can watch a video I made of my cats below.

• Find more pictures or follow me on: https://www.facebook.com/micha.smashgraphics
• The Facebook page were I write about cats: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreSuperCats
• And the page were I protest against cats beeing hunted in Belgium: https://www.facebook.com/jachtopeningsbesluit?ref=hl

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Tamar here, as Micha mentioned in the beginning of this piece, he does make furniture for his very lucky and loved six felines. I wanted to share just two of the pieces with you. I find them absolutely fabulous. I want the litter box so badly it hurts, and only wish I had room for the ultra sleek and modern cat tunnel! 

 

 

 

BYE FOR NOW EVERYBODY!