by Taetske | 7:31 pm
(Last Updated On: July 30, 2021)

 

My life with cats starting in Australia

 

My love for cats started at an early age

My love for cats started at an early age

 

Why cats are important in my Life

Since I remember, cats have formed part of my life. I was born in Australia in 1950. My Dutch parents emigrated there in 1949. They spent 4 tough years in this vast country changing home 16 times. There was a time my Father had a job in the Snowy Mountains Project. Mother was sitting some 1000 miles away with me still a small baby.

We lived in a small hostel and on the wood veranda were some house cats. My Mother told me I would grab their tails but they never bit or scratched me. This was the beginning of a lifelong love for these amazing creatures.

 

Bongo, our first house cat

We came back to Holland in 1953, and 2 years later my parents built a house. I had a doll’s pram and our cat had babies in there. My first memory is of Bongo, completely black and quite naughty. He was the baby we kept; the others got nice new homes.

In the kitchen was a window with a view of the lawn. In our garden lived an old and enormous rabbit. He would often come and sit a while on the lawn, nibbling on the grass. My Mother observed this scene from the window and later told me the story.

Bongo was growing up and had become a reckless teenager. That day he had seen the big rabbit, a couple of sizes bigger than this still small cat. Bongo was not conscious of sizes yet, so he went on his stomach and started creeping toward the rabbit. Of course, the rabbit had seen him coming, and just before Bongo prepared to jump; the rabbit turned around and with his back leg gave him a whopper.

Bongo made a small salto mortale and was catapulted over the lawn. He was quite dazed, not having a clue what had happened. In a corner, he sat down to clean his fur and the look on his face was priceless. This has nothing to do with me.

 

Bongo and the cake

My Mother often baked delicious cakes. The friends who would come to visit were looking forward to her treats. Mother had made a great cake with a gooey topping of soft chocolate. The cake was standing on the kitchen counter; the quests were nearly there. When Mother came back to the kitchen, she found a bare cake, Bongo was licking his whiskers.

Well, she had 2 options. No cake for her friends or quickly make a new chocolate spread. That is what she did. Later, after eating the cake, she told the story to her best friends. They were not amused.

All cats have distinct characters. I do not know if there is a trick, so Bongo would not have jumped on the counter to lick the cake. Still, sometimes one is quite challenged with what cats can do. You might find a solution here. Easy Solutions for Cat Behavior and Health.

My parents moved to Italy in 1969 and did not want to stress old Bongo. He found a loving home with my Mother’s brother where he lived up to 22 years of age. In his last years, he stayed mainly indoors as he did not want to fight anymore with young tomcats.

 

entrance to my 180-year-old Spanish farm

Entrance to my 180-year-old Spanish farm

 

The cats in the south of Spain

I came to the Costa del Sol in 1976, working as a tourist guide for a German company. Each hotel would have cats living in their gardens. In general, the tourists would not mind and even feed them with a little tidbit from the buffet. First, I had a hotel room, but after half a year I moved to an apartment in Torremolinos. There I met a Finnish artist who lived in an ancient house next to the old Mill. The name Torremolinos says it. Torre means tower and Molinos means mills.

In his garden lived a very special cat species. Visualize a street cat married to a Siamese cat. The babies were very unusual, their tails having bizarre forms, it sometimes resembled a corkscrew. Going down the long staircase leading from the center of town to the beach was this mill. It was called La Boveda and the Dutch owner had made it into a flamenco show where the tourists would come in the evening having a drink and enjoying the show.

My company would use this place to offer the newly arrived tourists an informative welcome cocktail. There the guides would inform them about the interesting places to visit, train and bus fares, shopping hours and also other important information one might need in a foreign country.

One day coming down the steps I saw a pretty small cat. It had a long wound on her flank which was nearly healed. I could not resist and took her to my apartment. And that was the beginning of my own cat family.

After living with me for quite some weeks, she jumped off the balcony into the garden and went for a tour. She came back some days later looking bashful, but it was too late already. She was pregnant and when I moved inland to my farm, she came along with a bunch of babies.

All my animals have been adopted, or perhaps I should say it the other way around. Some of them just adopted me. Helping those that can not help themselves. Cat Care and Adoption of a fur friend.

 

 

My Spanish farm

I was still working. There was a lot of space and the cat situation got a bit out of hand. They lived a lovely life here, lots of hunting fun, birds, lizards, mice, and insects. They all would come for breakfast not so much because they were hungry but more a ritual to say hello. They would all sit in front of the kitchen door to the patio.

At that time, some 30 years ago I had, if I remember well, close to 20 cats. From young to old and all living in peace, a good example for the world.

That morning when I opened the door to serve breakfast I saw a big mouse sitting next to them I now understand they had put him there for dessert. When I saw that I jumped on him to save him and I was bitten in my hand. Had to go to the first aid station in the village to get a Tetanus shot.

One should not interfere in nature and when I did something bad happened, prolonging somebody’s agony. I can tell you a lot of cat stories, some of them really sad but as I want to keep this a happy story, I will refrain.

The fact is that when I fill in my calendar for the new year, a lot of cat names appear with a little cross beside their name. Every year I think, shall I continue doing this? And then again I fill in the names of my fur friends who have accompanied me on part of my life path. I will now tell you the stories of the cats which are here on my farm now.

 

Missu on the cobble stones

Missu on the cobblestones

 

Old Missu

She came walking in as a baby in 1995. It is quite amazing she is still alive after all these years. She has become really slow, does not take care of her fur anymore, and sometimes does not remember where she is heading. She never had an amiable character and after only a few pats would let you know, now it is enough!

She comes for breakfast in the storeroom and often she wants to stay there the night. Every morning I brush her, but her fur looks awful. As long as she eats, drinks, sleeps, and also walks around I let this old lady be. Even if her joys are small, she still has them.

 

Sasha meets Cindy for the first time

Sasha meets Cindy for the first time

 

Sasha, the only boy

In Oct 2010 I came home after a lovely holiday in Germany. A few days later, Miguel, my gardener, tells me they dumped a baby cat at the main gate, which is 500m away from my home. I asked him how big the cat was and he answered tiny. I told him to bring the cat home and there was little Sasha.

The vet later told me he was only 4 weeks old. He had to stay in quarantine for 2 months living in the kitchen. Old Missu has a chronic condition of the cat flu. That means she does not die of it but sneezes now and then. A small baby with only 4 weeks has not a good enough immune system, so I had to keep the cats separated.

Sasha was my first cat with a passport and vaccination card. After being here a few days, Cindy came into the kitchen to say hello. It was love at first sight.

 

Sasha hanging on the kitchen towel

Sasha hanging on the kitchen towel

 

Being a tomboy, he did naughty things like hanging on the kitchen towel, a funny photo. When he was old enough, I had him operated on. The vet said to keep him quiet overnight. I thought that the barrier I had put up in the kitchen would be sufficient.

Well, it was not. While sitting with Cindy in my workroom that evening, who came running upstairs? You have guessed right. Sasha recently operated wanted company.

 

Jasmin, rescued and not knowing what to think of me

Jasmin, rescued and not knowing what to think of me

 

Saved from sure death on the road, Jasmin

I never forget that day. It was a Monday, 9th of Sept 2013. I had planned to go to a big garden center close to Malaga. Instead of taking the road below the town, I left the house some 15 minutes later than planned and drove through the village.

Outside is the bridge of the highway and my road sloped down to pass under. From a distance, I saw a small black spot on my lane, on the moment I passed I realized it had eyes. I stepped on my brakes and stopped in the middle of the road, 10m further. The people in the car behind me had stopped just before the black spot.

I ran back and found a tiny cat, picked it up, and showed the people in the car. In the meantime, a long line of cars had formed. I made a U-turn, completely forbidden there, and drove back to the other side of the village where Francisco, my vet, has his office.

I double-parked on the street, also forbidden but often seen in Spanish villages and towns. I rushed in yelling “Francisco, Francisco, I have a hurt cat in my car.”

We opened the passenger door, but no trace of the cat. Francisco said perhaps he got into your handbag, no cat. We pushed the chairs carefully. Still no cat. Looking carefully, I suddenly saw a piece of tail sticking out from a small space where you put your feet. I slowly pulled and voila, there she was. Francisco said to come back that same afternoon.

I then went on my way to the garden center. On arrival, it turned out to be a holiday in Malaga, so it was closed. Just imagine. Had I known that, I would not have left the house till the next day.

Then the fact I took the road through the village instead of the down below- road, which I normally do. What do you think about the fact that I left 15 minutes later, all these “coincidences”? For sure, it was meant that Jasmin and I should meet.

When I picked her up, she had 7 stitches on a 1 cm wound on her front leg. Jasmin looked as if she had a dirty nose, so I softly rubbed till I realized it was a spot. She stayed for 2 months in quarantine in the room next to my workroom.

After a few days, I wanted to introduce Cindy. Cindy was so curious and pushed the door open with her nose. Jasmin came flying out of her room and with one big jump landed downstairs. A 3-meter jump down. Nothing happened to her, but it gave me a shock.

She repeated her flying skills, jumping out of her window on the first floor, and again nothing happened. When she was still small, I saw her chasing a dragonfly. The dragonfly flew over the small fishpond on the patio. Jasmin followed and walked over the water. She was so quick in getting out that her feet hardly got wet.

 

Jasmin on the bed

Jasmin on the bed

 

Jasmin sometimes does naughty things, like climbing through the open bedroom window. There I found her one day lying on the cat quilt, which my best friend Ingrid made for me. She has become a skilled hunter and sometimes brings me a present. She climbs in the Catalpa tree over the garage roof to sit in front of the window of my workroom.

She often brings little birds, lizards, etc, to the office window.  If it still wiggles, I try to save it. But otherwise, I let her stay outside. With Cindy, she is the best of friends and with Sasha, she goes on hunting tours. Old Missu is not amused and wants to be left in peace.

 

picking Shugar up at the airport

Picking Shugar up at the airport

 

A big white Lady from the U.S. comes to live here, Shugar

When Michael moved to Spain in Aug. 2016, besides his car, motorbike, furniture, and 150 boxes, also Shugar came along. She is a gorgeous-looking, completely white cat and deaf. She is too big, so I sometimes call her Roly Poly, but Michael insists she is Rubenesque.

She lives upstairs in his workroom and gets her food there. She also has her own toilet and uses it often. She comes out nearly every day and has slowly but surely gotten used to the place.

 

Shugar in the garden

Shugar in the garden

 

My animals still do not understand why this white girl calls so often, as they do not know she is deaf. There was a very critical time where we thought we might lose her. You can read about that in my post on Frontline.

Be very conscious when you use this product, it is harmful to your pets, dog, or cats. I hope I will always be able to have some fur friends in my life. They are the perfect antidote for when you are alone.

 

Do you also love cat books?

Nana is a stray cat, and Satoru took him in. They embark on a trip together through Japan in a silver van. Changing scenery and seasons, learning the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love. This book was an instant bestseller and you do not want to miss it.

.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
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Update, April 2019

Sadly, I had to say goodbye to Cindy and then old Missu. They have nice places in the garden where they are buried close to each other. Shugar also left us. We are sad but have fond memories which will remain with us forever.

I have made a special page for you and hope you will have a look at Recommendations before you leave.

 

Source: My own life

Photo Source: Private

 

There are many delightful animal stories out there. Perhaps you would like to read this significant story of Buddha.

Lovely Stories on the Buddha, Snails, and a Spider

Comments

Jessica

Hello Taetske,
I was completely absorbed reading the story of your life with cats! I love that it is written like a real book. The pictures are lovely! My newest addition is 14 years old and a calico. She looks a bit like your Missu. Hopefully she has a long life like Missu as well. She is “old” by normal cat standards for adoption (no one else wanted her!) but she is very spry and healthy. She has no stiffness or slowness in her at all. She can jump up high and is very affectionate and loving. When she is happy to get a love so starts drooling with job! We took her to the vet recently and she is very healthy. She likes to swallow her food whole without chewing. That made me worry there was something wrong with her mouth or teeth. The vet says she is fine though! She lived on cheap dry food in her previous home so maybe swallowing the food whole actually kep the food off her teeth and prevented tooth decay so common in cats that get an unnatural diet now.

Thank you for always taking car of kitties in need. We have 4 at the moment and all are rescues. They are all so affectionate and wonderful we can’t imagine how anyone got rid of them.

Jun 25.2018 | 09:16 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Jessica,

    Thank you for leaving this long comment on my website. I am always happy to talk to other cat lovers and hear their stories. Sasha has neither learned to eat his food nicely, he always gobbles. Could it be because he is a boy? fact is the girls have nicer manners I must say. Jasmin is a naughty pest and is always the first in teasing Sasha. They are quietly on the patio and then suddenly she jumps on him. Sasha then starts to pester back and Jasmin starts jelling as if she is being killed. Cindy has often interfered as she thinks it is getting too serious. Nobody ever got hurt though, it is more show. Jasmin often insists to sit on my lap when I am on the computer making working a bit difficult. What would we do without them?

    Regards, Taetske

    Jun 26.2018 | 06:26 am

Trevor

That is a beautiful story. I enjoyed every word. What magnificence is the cat! You have captured the pleasure of having cats.

Jun 26.2018 | 12:45 am

    Taetske

    Good Morning Trevor,

    Thank you for visiting my website and reading my post on cats. They can break your heart when they leave but the joy outweighs the sorrow. Having cats for the most part of my life I could actually write a book about it. Well, you never know I might do that one day.

    Regards, Taetske

    Jun 26.2018 | 06:16 am

Patsy

Hi Taetske,
You always have such interesting stories when I visit your website. This one was a pleasure to read and I like all the pictures. It’s great to see someone who loves cats so much. The rabbit that gave Bongo a whopper sure was smart, at least Bongo was ok after that incident. The cake story made me laugh! how your Mother made a new chocolate spead. I can imagine the look on her friend’s faces.

I really like the look of your 180 year old farm entrance, it doesn’t look like there would be a farm behind it. 20 cats back then is a lot at one time. The way all these cats end up with you is interesting. All the stories and memories, they are fortunate you took care of them, and saved the ones that you did. Seeing how long some lived and are still living shows the love and care they get and that’s special.

Patsy

Jun 29.2018 | 12:43 am

    Taetske

    Good Morning Patsy,

    Thank you for visiting my website and your kind comment. Cats are special animals and we seem to have a special connection. I could have filled my post with many more stories if I had wanted to but then it would have become a book. There once was a sad time in my life but being greeted by my animals even if the house was dark and empty helped a lot.

    Regards, Taetske

    Jun 29.2018 | 06:21 am

Juan

Hola, Taetske! Ahora sí he visto y leído por completo tu simpática historia de vida y lo de tus gatitos. Me ha gustado leer todo. Muchas gracias por compartirlo conmigo. Juan

Jul 08.2018 | 09:41 am

    Taetske

    Good afternoon Juan,

    Thank you for visiting my website. I can see you also like ” gatos ” just like I do. We are blessed to have these amazing animals in our life. I hope to see you again.

    Regards, Taetske

    Jul 08.2018 | 02:24 pm

James

Hello, Taetske,

What a lovely post you wrote about cats. I had no idea that you were so much into cats, and you also have a long history of these fluffy creatures going back quite a long time.
Yes, cats are really wonderful, and you can easily get very attached to them. From personal experience, I found that since not all cats are the same, with each one having a different character from the next, I tend to get attached to some more than others.
At the moment, we still have just the one cat, Rodger. Lately, he’s been rather confused as we’re doing some structural alterations to one of the rooms, and he’s not too happy about it. Seeing unusual faces, as well as hearing strange noises, has left him rather out of sorts, but we should be finished pretty soon so he’ll be back to his usual self…sleeping for eighteen hours a day LOL…
James

Jul 14.2018 | 11:25 pm

    Taetske

    Good afternoon James,

    Thank you for visiting my website. It is always nice to talk from one cat lover to the other. I think if a person does not like animals I better take a second look at this person before declaring to be their friend. Here on my farm, I am blessed with space and my animals can do what they like. Now in the summer they are extremely lazy during the warm day and try to find a cool and shady place somewhere. It is over 30 C during the daytime so they mostly sleep, hunting at night when it is cooler. I can understand your cat Rodger, from his point of view not happy with this human-caused upheaval in his world. I hope he will soon have peace and quiet again.

    Regards, Taetske

    Jul 15.2018 | 02:31 pm

Nate MC

This was beautiful! I love cats and I had a two cats that looked just like Shugar. I’ve always owned black and/or white cats, and had a Blue Russian once. They’re funny things though!

I believe once a cat person, always a cat person. I’ve had cats since I was born and into adulthood I’ve owned numerous cats lol. 

May 02.2019 | 12:48 pm

    Taetske

    Good afternoon Nate,

    Thank you for visiting my website and leaving a comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?

    I love all animals but cats are on top of my list. Nice to hear you liked my story. 

    Regards, Taetske

    May 02.2019 | 01:48 pm

Chris

When I was younger I had a dog (Irish Setter) and then my sister got two cats for her birthday – up until this point I had never given cats the time of day! 

How that changed. 

After living with her two cats for about a fortnight I realised how hilarious they were, and how different in personality they were. I also loved the fact that they had that care-free cat attitude going on, where nothing seemed to shake them. 

Thanks to these two early additions to our family, I have also gone through life with a love for these confident creatures (I have a large white male cat at the moment named ‘Klopp’ – I’m a Liverpool supporter!). 

May 02.2019 | 12:49 pm

    Taetske

    Good afternoon Chris,

    Nice to see you again. Thank you for your comment.

    I wonder if Klopp is also deaf? There have been periods in my life where I lived on my own on my Spanish finca. Not having animals it really would have been lonely here. I am happy I shared my life with so many. The problem is when they have to leave. It is very sad and hurtful and takes a long time to overcome it.

    Now I only have 3 cats and no dog. I have not been able to decide to go to the animal shelter to find a new dog, I still miss Cindy too much. She died last year in June but it seems like yesterday.

    Regards, Taetske

    May 02.2019 | 02:03 pm

Paul

Dear Taetske,

Wow, great article full of LOVE – Unconditional love! Hats off to you. Indeed, some of the cats adopted you and they made a wise decision.

Thanks a lot for sharing the story of love. Bongo is brave and lets forget the encounter with the white rabbit lol. Sasha is naughty and amazing. You gave a new life to Jasmin and she is awesome. You have saved many lives and its the most precious thing we can do in this world. I am inspired and motivated after reading your great article.

Helping those that can not help themselves is a great service. I really enjoyed the content and in the manner that you presented. I am sorry to hear about Cindy and Missu but they are blessed because they got the great care and love from you.

GOD Bless You!

Paul

May 02.2019 | 01:09 pm

    Taetske

    Good afternoon Paul,

    Thank you for your kind comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?

    Yes, my love for cats is big and my dear animals with their mere presence have helped me through difficult times in my life. There is a lot of space on my Spanish finca and for cats and dogs alike, it is heaven. I have been organic since 1981 and my neighbor on 3 sides with his avocado farm is also organic now for some years. 

    That means there is a lot of little life living here which makes it exciting for hunting tours. Sasha can sit for hours watching if a molehill moves and sometimes he is rewarded for his patience. I think all this pet- food needs some real food added to it.

    Regards, Taetske

    May 02.2019 | 02:19 pm

LearnToEarn Admin

Cats are amazing creatures and the feature I am most fascinated with is their ability to twist their body in mid-flight to be able to land on their feet just in time when they fall.  I once came across an article that explained in detail how they instinctively know when they need to twist their body if they realize that their body is not in the right position to land.
I guess that’s why cats live a lot longer than we give them credit for!

May 03.2019 | 09:38 am

    Taetske

    Good afternoon,

    Thank you for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?

    Yes, cats are amazing creatures and I dearly love them. There have been many cats in my life and I remember them clearly, what they looked like and also their name. I hope you enjoyed my cat story.

    Regards, Taetske

    May 03.2019 | 02:07 pm

Linda Frankson

Hi, Taetske has been a while but you already know why. I am still learning about you and your life through your website. You are an amazing soul and I am very fortunate to have made your acquaintance. I enjoy your reads and I have missed some of your work because of my work. But that is the life we never standstill.

My mother had a great love for these furry friends and I did too until we figured out why I was getting these sores on my mouth. I was about 10 when we discovered that I had an allergy to cat fur.

I don’t think it was so much their fur but the small creatures that lived in cat fur. I loved the feel of their fur on my face and I was forever rubbing my face over their fur. They sure loved the attention I gave them and showed it through their purring. to date, I am not able to have cats around. But love to watch them because through my kitchen window as so many of my vecinos have cats.

Always your friend Linda

Nov 07.2019 | 06:30 pm

    Taetske

    Good afternoon Linda,

    So kind of you to visit my website again. I know you are so busy writing your book.

    Now I must say what a shame to be allergic to cat fur as these fur friends have such a positive effect on our health. My new post is going to be on that. When I was living alone I must admit they were a big help. To have their friendship has helped me come through some difficult situations in life.

    Today Michael had to bring Shugar to the clinic as she had not eaten for 2 weeks. Something wrong somewhere as she has put on weight but has lost muscles. A worrying situation. It has happened in the past that she would not eat due to one of those hairballs which then would come out one way or the other. This time it is taking too long. Anyhow, she is on a drip and will stay there over the weekend.

    All the best will talk to you soon,

    Regards, Taetske

    Nov 08.2019 | 03:53 pm

Misael H

Wow haha aww, this has been a great read! Very interesting indeed! I cannot believe that you have been through this much with kitties and now it has brought you to where you are now. I am happy to hear that you have had a great experience with cats, as I also love cats and seriously cannot get enough of them. Thank you for sharing this.

Nov 17.2020 | 07:38 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Misael,

    Great to hear you enjoyed my post on cats. As you say you also love cats you should have told me about the cats in your life. It is nice to swap experiences and life happenings with the readers of my website.

    Thank you for your visit and for your comment. You can choose a free PDF, have a look at the tulip widget.

    Regards, Taetske

    Nov 18.2020 | 07:37 am

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