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Cat Family Story #47: Tuna and Indie

What are the names of your cats?

Tuna and Indie


Where is your cat family located in?

We live in Warwickshire, UK.


What are the breeds of your cats?

We aren't quite sure what breeds they are, as they are both rescue moggies .

How old are your cats?

Both of them are 3 years old.


Where can we find your cats on social media?

On Instagram @ex_pawdition


In a few short words/sentences, tell us about your cats' personalities.

Indie is a massive homebody, never strays far from comfort and likes to sleep on your chest at 3 am, she also falls in the water a lot.


Tuna is a dog in a cats body, loves the outdoors, loves to greet you at the front door when you come home and her recall is (almost) perfect.


How have your cats transformed your life from the moment you've met them till now?

I have always worked shifts but wanted a pet, so I got the one cat and ended up with two! They make me look forward to coming home and they have taught me, unconditional love, if I am upset Indie will sit on me and purr very loudly which considering she is not a lap cat is a big deal!


They make me happy to wake up in the morning because they are both always so happy to see that we are awake (and ready to feed them), I don't know where I would be without them, to be honest.


What do your cats mean to you?

Home really, nowhere we are, feels quite the right if they aren't there with us.


How did you and your cats first meet? Tell it to us in the form of a short story.

Myself and a friend went to the RSPCA for 'a look' one Sunday afternoon, I always knew I wanted a black cat because they are the ones who are overlooked most in shelters and are the least popular, no idea why because I think they are beautiful!


We went into the cattery section and in the third pod on the right-hand side, sat at the front by the glass staring right at me was this tiny little ball of black fuzz and an even smaller stripy ball of fur with the biggest eyes I have ever seen sat next to her, also staring right back at me!


That was it really, I feel like they chose me if anything! I worked near the shelter at the time so every lunchtime I would go up to see them and spend my lunch break playing with them until they were old enough to bring home with me.



What do you think your cats think of you?

Besides the obvious, someone to freeload from for somewhere warm and an endless supply of food, I would like to think they see us as more than that. At the start it was just me and them, they were always house cats so were way more dependant on me than an outdoor cat would have been, and I think that's where our incredibly close bond has come from.


When we met (adopted) Max it was a very different reaction from each cat, I lost Indie as 'my' cat, her loyalties switched to him overnight but Tuna was quite the opposite, it took a few months but now she is sold. We spend most of the time living on his canal boat so I think she appreciates him for the fact he has given her an outdoor life and she now has access to an unlimited supply of shrews and mice, she struts up and down the towpath like the Queen of Sheba.



Your cats are part of your family. What are some things they do that make you think that they consider you part of theirs?

Licking, compulsively licking as the first point! They are both, Indie more than Tuna, constantly trying to groom the pair of us, irrespective of the time of day or night if you leave a hand outside the duvet rest assured you will get a wash.


Secondly, now with them both being fully-fledged canal cats, Tuna brings back lots and lots of 'contributions' for teatime in the form of small furries, Indie will only ever try and chase a butterfly or a bee so there is no danger of any onboard rodents with her!


What are some accounts your cats like to follow on Instagram?

@bruce_and_clark_the_kittens

@bandy_cat

@neepsandtattiescats

@masiethecat

@chloethecalico44

@dobbytheadventurer

@snubbytheboatcat

@sauron_mainecoon

@brucetheboatcat

@brumcanalcat


Why do you feel that it is important to show the world that Cats are Family?

We both have a dream to travel the world in a camper and it would only be right to have the cats with us, I am aware that travelling with cats is becoming increasingly popular which is so refreshing to see.


We just want to show that having cats isn't 'boring' or restrictive in any way, they come out for walks with us, they come fishing, they come camping and they fit in with the narrowboat lifestyle so perfectly, even when we have to move every few days to keep everything charged they still manage to find 'their boat' and never stray for too long or too far.


Our lives haven't changed or in no way do they revolve around the cats, me working shifts they have never had a feeding routine, they just make every new adventure better!


Over to you...

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