I joined last week, so really should get around to introducing myself.
I am from Suffolk, and I am owned by a beautiful black cat called Tinker.
Tinker was about 8 years old when we got her, she was unwanted, unfreindly and obese. Her previous owner was moving in with his girlfriend, who was allegedly allergic to cats, and he asked if I would take Tinker until he found a new home for her as he was worried she wouldn't find a home through a rescue. What he failed to tell us is that Tinker was wild and had already been through a number of homes. His supposedly allergic-to-cats girlfriend managed to drive all the way from London with Tinker in her car to deliver her to us (how allergic could she be if spending 2 hours in a car with a cat was fine?), and we were faced with this black demon who was all claws and teeth. Once out of the cage she retreated to a high shelf, out of sight, and stayed there for 3 weeks. Eventually Tinker got bored of her shelf and plucked up the courage to come and say hello, it was then that we discovered just how handy she was with claws and teeth. It took a long time to calm her down!
She is 19 now, and is a proper lap cat, but is still wary of strangers. She is very vocal, and has opinions about everything which she likes to tell me all about.
This is Tinker, taken about a year ago but she hasn't really changed:
Until a couple of months ago we did have another cat, Bobby, a 14 year old black and white long haired scruffy cat. He always looked such a mess, he lost an eye in a road accident when he was only 3, and then at the beginning of this year lost an ear to cancer, but he still managed to look like the cutest cat ever. Sadly his numerous ailments finally got the better of him, and when we were away on holiday he was taken ill suddenly. My Mum rushed him to the vets, but he died on the way. The vet said it was likely to have been a heart attack.
This is Bobby, taken just a few days before he died.
So, for the first time in about 20 years we are down to just one cat, and the house seems awfully quiet. We have thought long and hard about getting another cat given Tinkers advanced age. We have now decided to try to get a pair of kittens, the decision has been finalised somewhat by a family of mice who have tried to move into our kitchen (we live in a rural area), and Tinker has told us that she doesn't do mousing.