Melting hearts

The first time I met Bonnie and Bono, they were absolutely terrified. We adopted them directly from the foster home where they had been placed as they were not coping well in the shelter. All the other kittens were there with their mummies except Bonnie, Bono and their brother Rocky, who stayed in the foster home. These three musketeers had been found from the streets without their mummy and brought to the shelter. They were not used to humans – they were petrified of humans – and the other cats in the shelter weren’t that friendly to these tiny furballs either.

However, it wasn’t all bad. The shelter asked animal-friendly mom and daughter, Lisa and Jo, to foster them, and they truly had the cosiest, friendliest and warmest foster home a kitten could wish for. There were other cats who didn’t really care about these kittens but went on their own days without paying much attention to the tiny trio. There was also the friendliest choc labrador, Buddy, who thought that the kittens would be up for some games and fun, but the kittens rather played with each other. Buddy’s size must have intimidated them. Anyway, they were well kept and started to become a wee bit more confident in their kingdom that was Jo’s room; she kindly gave to the kittens for several weeks.

I remember the day we went to meet Bonnie and Bono. I had called to the shelter, and we drove to Lisa’s and Jo’s house. I fell in love straight away. They were so timid and fast to run away when trying to catch them, but they were so full of life. They could not resist playing at all.

We brought these tiny balls of fur home. They were so tiny; they could fit on the hand. We brought them home, where I had got all the kitten stuff for them, little mice toys and jingle bells. Their favourite toy was a straw toy Lisa, and Jo made for them and gave to us. They could not resist the sound it made and chasing it.

The poor kitties continued being petrified for a few days, and we were so worried about them. But we continued playing with them, talking to them and just being around them. It did not take long for them to notice that we weren’t all that big and scary after all, just big, and soon they came to us. Bono was always a wee bit braver than Bonnie. Soon he allowed me to pet him, which Bonnie didn’t agree on the slightest. If I was patting Bono, Bonnie’s got jealous and slapped me really hard as if to say to get my hands off her brother. But I continued petting him and started to pat her as well quickly, and things completely turned around.

Fast forward to a few months, and they both constantly demanded cuddles and still do. I have had cats all my life, all well socialised since kittens, and none of them was ever as cuddly as these two. They follow us everywhere, play fetch with their toys, sit on our laps and sleep in the bed. They have come so far from the tiny skittish kittens found from the streets. Bonnie and Bono are both confident, playful and cuddly cats. Every day they bring so much joy to us. The past year with the lockdowns and restrictions has been so hard; however, our fur babies have made working from home a delight for us.

If you consider getting a pet, remember to contact your local shelters and check if you could adopt and not shop. There are so many tiny furballs waiting for forever homes. While they might be a wee bit a wee bit scared or timid, all they need is for you to show that they can trust humans, as once they do, they’ll bring so much happiness in your life, and there will be one less innocent animal starving on the streets.