After my cat Kylie had to be put down at the start of the year, me, my boyfriend and our other cat Bella were missing her, and we recently felt ready to adopt another cat needing a loving home. Lucas Vets put me in touch with Bristol and Wales Cat Rescue and I had a look on the website – and fell in love with Ralph (now Bailey).
Mike, his adoptive dad, brought him round to me to meet him and at first he kept his head in the crook of Mike’s arm and wouldn’t look at me. After a while, I managed to hold him, but he got scared and gave me a big scratch on my chest. That did not put me off – it made me want him more.
Bailey and his family were found in an abandoned house in the electricity box. He hadn’t had human contact for the first few months of his life – but you wouldn’t guess that now. All he wants is attention; as soon as you sit down, he is already sat on your lap, wanting a cuddle. He also likes to be held like a baby and to have his belly rubbed.
He has bonded well with my other cat Bella. They like to chase each other up and down the stairs, and now he has started to go out, she is showing him around the garden, and how to tease the neighbours’ dog!
I have never had a cat as affectionate as Bailey, and to think he was ‘feral’, I must give a huge amount of credit to Mike, his foster dad. If you want a kitten/cat, don’t judge on their past or the first meeting.
Thank you Bristol and Wales Cat Rescue.