Maisy’s Story

Day One

I have always been a cat lover, ever since I was a child. I pestered my parents for ages until they bought me a kitten. I was ten years old. Tigger is still very much alive today, 16 years later. A beautiful ginger moggy who loves cuddles and a warm lap. When I moved out of my parent’s house I felt it was unfair to move Tigger from the home she grew up in.

Last year I bought a house of my own with my partner Ben and started the hunt for a cat straight away. As it was to turn out our first cat actually found us. Ben’s grandparents had a lovely old cat with no teeth and a slightly bald head. When they both became unwell, we took him in. He has lived with us for one year now and been the sweetest most loving cat you could ever meet. Just before Christmas we noticed him losing weight and sleeping all the time. We took him to the vets who sadly told us that he had a treatable thyroid problem and an untreatable liver tumour, and it will only be a matter of time. Murphy is happy, he purrs and still eats fairly well but I am dreading the moment he becomes ill and just pray that I have the strength to do the right thing for him.

It was about this time that I decided I wanted a ragdoll. I had heard about their infamous temperament and stunning looks from a friend, so began in earnest my quest to own one. I was so nearly there, a breeder was waiting to see if her cat was expecting and I was on the list for one of the kittens. But it wasn’t to be. The cat wasn’t pregnant and I just had to question the price tag. It was something I just couldn’t afford at the moment. So I put my name down on a rehoming list that I stumbled across and thought that was where my ragdoll story would end.

In the meantime I took myself down to the local animal sanctuary and found a beautiful big white moggy with an adorable high pitched squeaky meow. We named him Beaker like the muppet who squeaks. He is so playful and friendly, still not a lap cat but sleeps on our bed every night and loves a fuss. We have had him two weeks now and he is so settled in. We feel like we have had him forever. Him and Murphy are curled up on the sofa together as I type this.

But everything was to change when Helen from Velvetsky phoned to say that she had a ragdoll who needed a home! I jumped at the chance. The home visit went well and as Murphy and beaker are both indoor cats there really was no adjustments to make. I picked up Maisy today, on her second birthday. She cried the whole hour long journey back to my house and so did I. I cried for her, I cried out of happiness and I cried out of sadness for her poor parents who had to give her up. I felt so guilty at feeling so happy when I knew they would be feeling so sad.

I got Maisy home and put her in the spare room with everything she needed. She is so affectionate and loves a cuddle. I put the two boys in the conservatory who both promptly fell asleep and let Maisy roam about. She is very timid and seems a bit scared. I don’t want to push her too hard and want to let her come out of her shell of her own accord but am desperate for her to meet the two boys and to see how they get on. And want her to feel that she has free range of the house but at the moment she just hides behind the sofa. Beaker loves to play and I am worried that he will try and play and frighten her more. So I have put her back into the spare room for a well deserved rest and will let her out again later when she has settled a bit more.

I suppose its like any new parent, being unsure and frightened of making things worse.

And I would like to take this opportunity to thank Helen and Darren so much for their time and the opportunity they have given me to look after Maisy.

Day Two

Wow what a difference a day makes. We put Maisy in the spare room and she woke us up at four in the morning wanting to get out. Both the boys were asleep downstairs so I let her out onto the landing. I sat at the top of the stairs and she gradually explored her surroundings. Then Beaker came up the stairs. He saw Maisy and stopped where he was and just sat, looking very submissive while Maisy growled and swore. Then after about twenty minutes, she got bored and went to bed!

When I let her out this morning she looked much more comfortable and at home, still wont go downstairs which is quite good I suppose because she still has Murphy to meet! Since becoming ill he rarely comes upstairs during the day and prefers the warmth of the sofa in the conservatory. At least this way she will be comfortable with beaker and can then be comfortable with Murphy.

She still growls at beaker now but will actually go looking for him and is certainly in charge. I am sat typing this whiles she rolls around at my feet and Beaker is lying outside the door trying to not make eye contact! I was wondering whether this would be possible yesterday. She was so scared.

I have left the spare room door open so she can have her own room until she settles in. With all her toys and bits. Beaker does come in here when she is not around which helps spread his scent around her things.

Day Three

We went out for dinner last night and with much trepidation I left all the cats together. All the rooms were open so they all had their own space. I was really nervous about coming home and finding that they had a fight but everything was calm. Maisy was sitting in the window when we walked up the road and came bounding down to see us, and Murphy and beaker were both asleep in the living room.

Maisy slept on our bed last night. I woke up and realised that my leg room had been considerably reduced and sat up to see Maisy stretched out at the bottom of the bed. She stayed there most of the night and purred really loud.

This morning she came downstairs while we were eating breakfast. Beaker just loves being nosey and will walk up to her every time she comes in the room. But where as before she would run away or hiss and spit. She now will allow him to get a lot closer before she puts her ears back. She is not intimidated by him anymore and if anything its the other way round. I am hoping that she will spend the day exploring a bit more of the downstairs.

Maisy Rules the Roost
She and Beaker are friends!! Albeit not the best of friends but she will go and look for him and he will look for her, they play at chasing each other up and down the stairs.

And Maisy and Murphy are getting on fine too! She walks past him with a quiet respect. Not bothering him or hassling him. He is so old and very frail, it like Maisy and Beaker understand this and give him the room and respect he deserves.

I have taken all Maisy's toys out of the spare room and closed the door. I want her to come downstairs and socialise. I think she has had her quiet time and space and want to encourage her to spend more time downstairs.

Things are going great.

I did have a bit of an interesting experience yesterday when Maisy got in to the bath with me!! She jumped in and sat on my lap. Luckily the water wasn’t to deep and she only got her feet wet. It was so funny. I think that she wasn’t in any hurry to get out either. If I had left her then she would have just stayed in! I am definitely going to get her a Cat It Fountain. She loves to play with water. I have to keep all the toilet seats down!

Maisy follow up

Maisy has settled in so well. She seems very happy and contented, she and Beaker will chase each other around the house for hours, and if Beaker starts calling in another room with his high pitched squeaky meow, Maisy will go trotting into look for him. Murphy tolerates the two of them but does have bad days when he is not in so much of a good mood and if they even so much as look at him he will hiss. Unfortunately his hiss sounds more like a burp than a hiss; I am sure Maisy and beaker run away laughing! Otherwise on good days Murphy is happy to share his sofa and his food bowl. But gets a bit more upset when he has to share his mummy.

My partner Ben was very unsure when I told him we were going to adopt Maisy. He nick named her Porchia and said that he was happy with his two moggies, I did laugh when I walked into the bedroom to see him cuddled up to her. Managed to take a quick sneaky snap. He still maintains that he fell asleep and it was her who snuggled up to him, but I know the truth.

Jude