The Cats

I had read stuff about Bengals like "the hooligans of the cat world" but undeterred i decided that's what i had to have. My husband isn't a dog person, so when my Border Terrier sadly died last October we decided to have cats instead. So not long after we moved i found a breeder not far from us. My eldest daughter is allergic to cats so I took her to the breeders to see what would happen. No streaming, itching eyes! It must be their close, short haired coats! It didn't matter how much they rubbed around her face she had no reaction to them. That was the deciding factor and while the kids were at school my husband and I went back to the breeder and bought two little brothers. They were about three and a half months when we got them and their hooliganistic characters soon developed!

This is Clay, this one was meant to be my cat, but he seems to have developed a bond with my youngest daughter who is eight. He is quite a reserved cat who likes his personal space. He comes for love when HE wants it, but when he does he goes completely over the top, dribbling and making huge puddings. My daughter can do anything to him, she picks him up, turning him upside down like a baby, she pushes him over and he just lies there being fussed. He tends to sleep on her bed most nights. He is a quiet thoughtful cat, and likes his sleep, until of course it's the kids bedtime, then he turns into a wildcat!

This is Harley, he was meant to be my husband's cat (named, of course, after a motorbike!) He's a funny cat, very mischevious and rather mean towards the neighbour's cats, but a real mummy's boy. He's scared of the neighbours (just not there cats) and if anyone comes round he hides! He loves nothing more than a cuddle and sits on my lap at every opportunity, rubbing his face on mine. He is much brasher than his brother and is always up to something. If he is a wild mood it's best to just stay away!

The list of things they have broken since they moved in is huge! Their favourite passtime is catching birds (when they are not sleeping) and just this morning i saved the only surviving baby nuthatch from the Clay jaws of death. One or the other of them had the other one about a week ago, leaving it's remains on my sofa! Nice. They constantly stalk my chickens and the rabbits too, but i wouldn't be without them. I am lucky that we live surrounded by fields and woods so they can go off and do their thing.