Ally
(James Drew)
Click thumbnail for larger image!
“A
cat on its own is like a Laurel without a Hardy.”
-
Promotional
poster at a recent cat show.
In
October 1999, a very small black and white kitten was found abandoned in a
colleague’s yard. Her children
named her Ally, after their favourite TV show, Ally McBeal.
She
was immediately taken in and nurtured, but wasn’t able to be kept due to
allergy problems in the family. When
I heard about this dilemma, I almost subconsciously agreed to take Ally in, at
least until she had all her inoculations and had been desexed (HA!)
My
extant feline Shango (see separate page) was mildly hostile towards the new
arrival, so she stayed closed in the bedroom for the first few days.
Tray training was a major priority, and a Whitmans Sampler chocolate tray
was utilised, with me holding her paws and trying to pass on the general idea of
litterpan etiquette. After some
expected mistakes, she caught on quite soon.
For such a young kitten, her diet was well- advanced, and she took to
solid food straightaway, supplemented by plenty of Heinz baby food, egg custard
being her favourite.
A
week after moving in, she and Shango were getting along very well.
He took on the role of big brother and mentor, willingly grooming her and
dishing out some cat discipline where necessary.
She now follows him around incessantly, instigates play periods, and
leads the charge at feeding time. They
often sleep together on the bed or in my lap.
This
picture is of Ally at about 7 weeks, discovering a tree during her first sojourn
outdoors (under strict human supervision!)
Her facial markings are beautiful, with ocean green eyes dominating her
face. Her ears are totally black.
The black extends down to her shoulders, separated by white, and then a
large black “saddle” appears. She
has a pointy black tail, and the rest of her is white.
For
a kitten traumatised by forced early separation from her mother, she’s very
affectionate and trusting of humans, welcoming
strangers much more readily than Shango.
I
always thought my apartment was only large enough for one indoor cat, but
Ally & Shango seem content. I’ve
started Ally on harness-and-lead training for regular outdoor stimulation, and
the Grand Plan is to walk both cats simultaneously, using a linking lead.
I
sense that Shango is delighted with his new friend, and must be happier during
the day when I’m at work. He certainly seems more relaxed and less hyped-up when I
return each evening.
Ally is here to stay (I kept the name – it suits her). But no more cats! For now...
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