My Adoption

Here I am in the above left picture, two days after being adopted by Mum, coming out from my hiding place behind the curtains, and in the above right picture looking pretty for the camera.

The events leading up to my adoption on the 11th of August 2001 weren't particularly pleasant, so I was really glad that morning to get my very own Mum.

Mum had taken Mabel to the vet for her first vaccination and was paying the bill when a Policeman walked in, absolutely soaking wet, with a bag full of wiggly kittens. There were five of us in our litter and we'd been thrown in the canal, which isn't far from the Vet's practise. I overheard him saying that he was walking along the towpath when he saw the bag thrown in to the canal. He didn't know whether to see what was in the bag or chase the person throwing it - lucky for us he waded in, and lucky for him the canal isn't very deep!

Naturally, this pulled at Mum's heart strings, and when she saw me it was a case of love at first sight. I was the only kitten with long hair, with a baby fox tail and, Mum says, this little baby pout which she just couldn't resist. I think it also had something to do with the fact that I reminded her of her Tigger at a similar age.

Going home with Mum was VERY scary, so I hid behind the washing machine and refused to come out until she pulled the washing machine out and caught me. After several rescue missions to remove me from my new found hiding place, Mum gave me my very own room until I became more confident. I had a towel on the armchair to snuggle up to, my own food and water bowls, and my own litter tray. Mum also gave me some toys to play with, but I didn't know what to do with them so I left them alone just to be on the safe side.

As the days went by I started to feel less scared, and was gradually being introduced to Mabel, and now I can't live without my Mabel. Being introduced to Golly was quite frightening at first - she seemed very bad tempered, but Mum told me that her brother Tigger was missing so she was probably feeling a bit lost without him.

I'd also contracted ear mites, and had mild conjunctivitis, so when I went to the vet for my first vaccination I was prescribed ear drops and some cream for my eyes. I DID NOT LIKE THIS! I struggled and struggled so the cream and drops went everywhere, and I looked a complete mess as a result!

With time, my eyes cleared up, but the mites didn't. Soon after we all developed colitis, and we're not sure whether I had a bug causing it and infecting Golly and Mabel aswell, or if it was something else that caused it. It mean't a trip to the vets where we all got an antibiotic injection and were treated for worms, just in case. Golly and Mabel soon got better, but I didn't, so there were plenty more trips to the vet for that. For a long time Mum called me 'Mingy Mungo' whenever I visited the bathroom (how unrefined), but I eventually got better and there's no more Mingy attached to my name.

My ear mites were persistent little tykes, and refused to go away with treatment from the drops, so as soon as I was old enough I was prescribed a flea treatment that also acts to tackle mites. I certainly didn't like this, but anything was better than having hundreds of those things crunching away inside your ears all day long!

Once my health problems had cleared up, I became more confident and my real nature began to shine through. I've got Mum wrapped well and truly round my paw and let her believe that I'm a bit of a softy and that I love to cuddle up with her (she calls me her Baby Love). I'm also a bit of a purr monster when I want to be, and when I'm being really soppy you can usually catch me with my paws kneeding the air!

Mabel's my best friend, and we're often playing in the back garden together. I try to play with Golly, but I often pick the wrong moment - usually when she's asleep (oops!). I often get attacks of the gremlins which means I have to run at my fastest speed from one length of the garden to another, and then back again, for no apparent reason. But I know what I'm doing, honest.

These days I spend my time racing about in the garden, helping Golly with keeping the wildife population under control, playing with Mabel and making sure Mum spends lots of time making a fuss of me and giving me a wide choice of meals at feeding time.

I think I've grown in to a lovely boy considering all I went through before I met my Mum. Please be sure to visit my Photo Album to see for yourself.

Purrs

Mungo