Personal Therapist – Cat Martin

First meeting

Once, daughter Irina told me on the phone: “Mom, a surprise awaits you at home …”

When I was driving home, I kept thinking what it could be. And as soon as I crossed the threshold, I immediately saw him – a small fluffy red kitten with huge blue eyes. And around – trays, bowls, different balls, balls …

I remember taking the kitten in her arms, and Ira told me the details of his difficult life, a month long. Our Martin is a foundling. Kind people picked up an unfortunate lonely lump on the street and transferred it to a cat shelter. From there, Ira took the kitten.

Moreover, the organizers of the shelter for a long time were interested in the fate of the rescued, answered all our questions, gave advice on caring for the kitten, accustoming him to the tray, transferring from milk formula to solid food, and the timing of vaccination.

These consultations were not superfluous: Martin is the first cat in our family. When the children were small, we had hamsters, guinea pigs and parrots.

Martin immediately became everyone’s favorite  

Seeing the cat, looking into his eyes, I, surprisingly, was not at all against the fact that he settled with us. Although, to be honest, I myself would hardly have ever decided to take such a step. And here – it was put before the fact!

Immediately, the daughter was the rightful mistress of the cat. She fiddled with him a lot, played, went to the vet. The cat has been vaccinated and neutered. A few years ago, Irina moved to the Czech Republic. All care for the pet fell on me and my son. It is difficult to say who he considers his master, whom he loves more. Alexey is more strict with Martin. If the son says “No”, it means “no”. The cat does not always take my prohibitions seriously. Both my son and I love to shake it. If I stroke a cat when the animal is disposed to it, then Lesha demands it when he wants to. In such cases, Martin can release claws, say menacingly “Meow” and escape.

The cat is very simple and unpretentious in care.

Martin from early childhood showed all his best qualities. He is smart! Immediately began to go to the tray. And there were never any “misses”!

He easily switched from milk formula to dry food, quickly got used to the scratching post. In general, Martin is a big neat man, neat, he likes to have order. 

True, attracting my attention, the cat can scrape on the sofa. This means that it is time to feed or pet him.

Cat habits to be reckoned with 

Martin is a 100% homebody. The maximum where he can reach himself is to the landing. Taking him to the vet is a real test for us and a huge stress for the animal. He screams so that the whole entrance runs to watch what we are doing with the cat. Therefore, when leaving on vacation, please look after Martin neighbors. It is unrealistic to transport him to relatives or to a pet hotel.

Parting cat endures courageously. When we return, he can, of course, show that he was offended … But still, he shows joy more. It “spreads” under your feet, rumbles … And you need to stroke it, stroke it … For a long, very long time. Moreover, such meetings are already a tradition with us. And it doesn’t matter if you left for a week, or left the house for just an hour.

He is very calm and more independent. You have to try to play it. At one time, Martin did not let him sleep at night, and in the evening we tried to “train” him a little so that he would get tired. They threw a ball at him. Martin ran after him three times, and then lay down and waited for him to roll out.

But if some living creature flies through the window – a moth, a butterfly, a fly – then his agility manifests itself! Perhaps there were hunters in his family. If Martin is chasing someone, beware: everything is swept away on the way!

But the cat does not like to play with children. He would rather hide under the bath than let them tear him apart!

What problems did you face when caring for a cat? 

In principle, Martin is a trouble-free cat. Healthy enough. Once he was treated for fleas: he was washed several times with a special shampoo. I was wondering where the fleas came from in a cat that does not leave the house. The vet said that we ourselves could bring them on shoes …

And somehow there was an allergy. The cat tore his ears and stomach. I had to change food. Switched from dry to natural. Now I cook porridge especially for him, season them with meat or fish. I grow oats on my windowsill.

He also has a lot of wool. Have to wash floors frequently. But he is fluffy with us, and, fortunately, we are not allergic!

Purring – for pleasure: his and mine

Previously, the cat slept all the time either with me or with my son. But this summer it suddenly stopped. Probably because of the heat. Recently, I became very ill, and the cat came to me again. It seems that he felt how bad I was, tried to heal with his warmth.

Martin also has a calming effect. If I get nervous, I worry about something, I take the cat in my arms, stroke it, and it rumbles and rumbles … In this rumbling, the problems somehow dissolve, and I calm down.

Sometimes I ask myself: is he rumbling because he feels good or so that I would be pleased? Apparently, after all, we both get pleasure: I stroke him, I regret it, he purrs in response.

Interesting fact

The eyes of Martin the kitten were blue. And now they are yellow, and sometimes they turn green or light brown. On what it depends, I do not know. Maybe from a change in weather or mood …