Barney is a rescue cat. We adopted him from a shelter in Norfolk around 4 years ago. They estimated then he was about 4, so about 8 years old now.
He was caught in a feral trap along with lots of other cats, before being neutered and having a piece of ear removed (apparently that is procedure), so they could release him ‘back into the wild’, and if caught again, they would see straight away they wouldn’t need to have him operated on.
When released, the other cats ran wildly off, but Barney sat there and cried and looked for attention. They then realised he was probably a lost cat, rather than a feral one. But with no microchip or collar, nobody knows.
He clearly had been in a few scraps, with his other ear chewed up and his larger than usual cheek pouches indicating life in the great outdoors, he remained in the shelter for many weeks; totally ignored by visitors.
We are so happy they did. They missed out on the best cat on the planet; I know everyone says that, but having had several cats between us, we agree that he is simply unbelievable. He hangs out with us all the time and never wants to go outside unless we do. He follows us around and just wants to be loved (unless the heated floor is on). He loves a routine-he knows what time we wake up for work and waits for ‘Caterday’ when we are off on Saturday and he’s allowed on the bed.
He snuggles up and you can hold him like a teddy bear and genuinely doesn’t move because he loves it so much!
We have taught him two separate bells; one for treats and the other for milk and he knows the difference! He adores attention from anyone who visits the house and everyone (including those who say they “don’t like cats,”) fall in love with him straight away. Many have said he thinks he’s a dog, not a cat.
He sits on ‘his’ seat at the table when we eat breakfast or dinner, just to listen to conversation and watch what is going on-never begging for food or climbing on the table. We think he thinks he’s human; not a cat or a dog!
You found yourselves a true gem. Thank you for sharing sweet Barney with us. It’s obvious how happy he is and how much he loves being part of your family.
He’s gorgeous!