Cat's Name & Age:
Marlowe, Age 15, Manx
Best Characteristics of the Breed
Not sure
Most Challenging Characteristics of the Breed
Needs company 24/7
When, Where and How I Got My Cat
When my daughter was 9, she wanted a cat. I looked in the paper and saw Manx cats for sale; I was attracted to their shape and their strong-looking physique. "Marlowe" was born in Prince George, BC and had been transported down to Vancouver where we picked her up. She was the only orange-coloured cat in the litter and she was the runt, so of course I chose her. My daughter liked her because she was 'so teeny'. Unfortunately, when we got Marlowe home, she was sick with worms and had a pretty bad case of fleas. After what was, I'm sure, for Marlowe, some torturous deworming and de-flea-ing, she settled right in.
I'd Describe My Cat As…
My cat Marlowe is: An excellent hunter - she will stalk and murder any bug or spider (which I'm deathly afraid of) - If I see a spider in the house before I go to bed at night, I show Marlowe where it is and she casually checks it out as if it was easy pickin's and leaves the carcass for me to see when I get up in the morning - Marlowe will eat most insects and she loves craneflies; Finicky when it comes to food; Bossy when it comes to doing exactly what she wants - she doesn't take 'no' for an answer; Mischievous - digs my husband's socks out of the laundry hamper or his sock drawer and carries them around the house; Vindictive - she peed all over our bed when I adopted a dog; Playful when the mood strikes her and loves chasing my daughter up the stairs, trying to bite her ankles; Very territorial - she will growl and race down to the front door when someone comes to our house; A one-person cat: she imprinted on me when she was 6 weeks old by kneading on my chest and purring. She has to be near me ALL THE TIME, and cries at night, trilling in her lonely, plaintive voice and pacing up and down the hallway hoping, one night, I'll let her into the my bedroom to sleep with me.
Marlowe slipped off the wood railing of our second-floor balcony two years ago; since then she has had seizures which don't seem to bother her, she just twitches her head alot but she doesn't cry and doesn't seem to be in pain.
Training Marlowe??? She trained us...cats don't have owners, they have servants !!
Marlowe was declawed when she was very little (approx 4 months) and I will always feel guilty about that because I didn't know that she was actually undergoing an amputation of the first knuckle of her toes. I know now that this operation causes some cats to become mentally ill and very very crabby, which Marlowe can be at times; she doesn't like having her front paws touched and is prone to bite me for no reason. I understand her and respect her idiosyncrasies - she didn't ask to be mutilated.
Last year (2009), Marlowe contracted kidney disease. She was put on a low-protein diet and seems to be okay these days.
Would I ever get another cat? Definitely not. Marlowe is a one-of-a-kind girl and, when she passes away, I'll miss her but she can never be replaced.
Advice
- If you have allergies, don't blame the cat...you bought it
- Be prepared to try alot of different types of cat food, giving them the one they like and change it up every once in awhile
- Cats live longer when they are indoor 'house cats'
- Be prepared to share EVERYTHING with your cat...even your bathroom - nothing is sacred to them and they love you just as much when you're sitting on the toilet
- Keep kitty's litter box clean - they will find other places to go if their toilet is full
- Don't get your cat de-clawed - a cat's mental health is more important than your furniture - buy a hairless cat !!
