Crunchie is our 10 month old mischievous kitten who has brought much love and laughter into our home. He is a rescue kitten, found dumped on the side of the road with his mother and 3 siblings in a cardboard box. It was estimated the kittens were around 4 weeks old when they were found. He was taken to a foster carer and at 8 weeks old we brought him home. My daughter said that was the best day of her life! He came home in December 2016. The first day of the school holidays.
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| The day we brought him home |
He was named Crunchie after the chocolate bar, by his foster carer. My daughter and husband said it suited him, so the name stuck. Our previous cat was named Oreo, are you seeing the theme?
We haven't had a kitten for our long time and I forgot how much work they could be. The first week my husband slept downstairs with him at night so he didn't feel lonely. It was like having a new baby! He constantly wanted to play and if anything moved he was pouncing on it, even if you accidently moved your toes while watching TV. When we wanted to rest he ALWAYS wanted to play. He needed feeding around 4 times a day. But I must say he was litter box trained so thankfully there were no problems there. However there were screens to be climbed especially if he saw a moth or gecko, curtains to hang off and paper to chew up. Lucky he was cute!
Even now, we are always laughing at something he is doing. He may not be the most handsome looking cat, but he is full of character. My daughter just loves him, and told me the other day, she couldn't imagine her life without him. He sleeps on her bed every night and when my husband goes to bed, he puts him in the laundry. When he gets let out in the morning, he gets fed, then runs straight up to see my daughter (often waking her by walking all over her and sniffing her face). He is very aware of our routines.
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| Best buddies from the beginning |
Crunchie is always around when I go about my daily tasks. If I open a cupboard, he is in it. If I run upstairs to grab something, he runs after me (and always beats me, I didnt know it was a race!) When I am cooking, he is at my feet or supervising at the breakfast bar and when we are relaxing, he is always around. He even sits on the bathmat and waits while we are showering, lately opening the shower door!
He is like no other cat I have ever had. He is very comfortable around children, he has an easy going nature and the vets always comment on how placid he is when he visits. He can be carried around and he doesn't mind a tummy rub or playing dress ups!
I have always had cats growing up and love their presence in my life. There is a feeling of comfort they provide by just being there.
But Crunchie's short life hasn't always been smooth sailing. And I''ll write about that in another post.
Crunchie is a great name. I just love that photo of your daughter reading with with Crunchie sleeping. He is adorable.
ReplyDeleteKylie
Thanks Kylie, that is one of my favourite photos too!
DeleteCrunchie is just beautiful, Belinda. What a lovely companion for your family. We have a rescued dog, Steve, who is a gentle giant Labrador. He is just the sweetest fellow. He loves being close to us and is our son's best mate. He is so funny...he will often he guards the fridge so no food can escape, comes running when he hears the toaster and rolls over for belly rubs constantly. His tail wags up and down when he's very excited instead of side to side and he "speaks" in what sounds like piggy grunts. It's such a joy to give a once-neglected animal a loving home and to receive the love the give back. Meg:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Meg. Sounds like your dog is a big part of your family too. Animals are so wonderful, they do give so much love and we always tell Crunchie how lucky he is!
DeleteI had cats growing up, they do make lovely pets. Then I married a man who is allergic to cats (despite owning several in his childhood! He learned very quickly if he patted a cat he had to wash his hand straight away or bare the brunt of hay fever like reactions) anyway we've never had cats during our time together because of it. Our son (12) has wanted a cat for years, but we probably won't. Crunchie looks like a real gem of a cat! What a lovely bond with your daughter, she will probably never have another cat like that in her life again.
ReplyDeleteHe is a pretty special cat Cheryl. Mum husband used to tell me he was allergic to cats too and when we didn't have one for about 18months, he was still sneezing!! So there may be hope for your son yet! He also never used to be a big fan of cats, but Crunchie has really grown on him.
DeleteCrunchie, like all cats, looks like he rules the house and owns you, not the other way round. He is a gorgeous looking cat.
ReplyDeleteYes he most definitely does!
DeleteI just love him. We have had two ginger cats, our first was Jody - named after Jody Scheckter the F1 racing driver of the 70's and 80's. We emigrated to Australia in 1979 and brought Jody with us (it cost us £600 even in those days but our boys didn't want to leave him behind so it was money well spent) and he lived until he was 18 years old. Our 2nd ginger boy was Gizmo, another absolute treasure. Friends of ours have a cat hostel and my DH and I do holiday relief for them and we have found, almost without exception, that ginger cats are very intelligent and affectionate. Ginger cats are predominantly male, with the odd exception.
ReplyDeleteCrunchie will give you many happy years and what could be better than children growing up with a pet, they learn so much about caring and sharing.
I loved reading this comment Marilyn! Lots of people told us not to get a ginger because their temperaments could be a bit "crazy and cranky"! You must have come across lots of cats so it is encouraging to hear your comments about them. So far so good with Crunchie! Wow, one of your gingers lived until 18 yrs, what a long and happy life he must have had with you. They really do become part of the family don't they?
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