Mary, queen of cats

Back in 2003 when we got Mary, I was so enamored by this breathtaking creature that just entered our lives. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I knew exactly what a proud, new mother felt like and it was downright emotionally overwhelming. Mary might be a non-human animal, but that does not mean I have to love her less. I am sure that a non-human animal can bring as much joy as a human baby/child can (we don’t have any children) – it is just a different kind of joy. It is the same principle as loving your spouse/partner and loving your mother/father. You love them all equally, but the love you have for each is different. And so it is with the love I have for Mary.

I simply could not take my eyes off her (and after 4 years I still can’t) and wanted to show her off to the whole world. I cannot begin to tell you how many photos we have of Mary. COUNTLESS. Once, in one sitting, I took 66 photographs. The only reason I stopped was because the food in the oven was burning (I was so wrapped up in what I was doing, I forgot about early supper in the oven). Some of the photos came out beautifully and at that stage I wanted to have a site in her honour: The first supermodel cat in the world!

I am sharing a few of Mary’s best photos with you. Enjoy!

Please note: all images on this site are free for use ONLY if you are using them to a) promote animal welfare and b)NO PROFIT is made off these images.

Mary’s favourite things in the world would be (in no particular order): outside, biscuits, grooming and sleeping. In typical Mary style, she does everything dramatically and spectacularly!

Here is a collection of photos of Her Royal Highness enjoying her sleep (at times, taking over the bed, leaving either one of us with no space). Not much excitement, but for those of you who own cats – you will know what it means for a cat to be so relaxed in human company. For those of you who don’t quite understand the fascination: cats are vulnerable when they sleep, so when they are completely and utterly relaxed (as Mary clearly is in these photos), it shows how much they trust you. I would say we are pretty damn good house mates/parents to Mary!

Yesterday, as we came home, we noticed a new face in the complex. A friendly black and white kitten came running towards us, seeking attention. It followed us to our door and our immediate concern was how Mary was going to react. She has exhibited some really strange behaviour towards other animals in the past. The very first time we saw her interact with another cat was quite frightening: she came running back inside our place, soiling herself and cowering in a corner.

The next place we moved to, she was again terrorised by a stray cat who would come inside, beat her up and eat her food. I once separated the two and as I lifted Mary away from the brawl, this cat hung onto her head. I stopped counting the number of times we had to take her to the vet to be stitched up. At the same complex lived a kitten about the age of the one we encountered yesterday – in fact, it looks VERY similar, and Mary bullied this poor little thing. She would call it, it would come running and she would clobber it quite viciously and run after it when it tried to flee.

We moved and she adapted pretty well as there were hardly any cats in her territory. Then our neighbour got a cat and we held our breath. Tommy and Mary clicked right from the start and the two became inseparable. Tommy would come in to our flat, and Mary would go in to his flat. They were truly bosom buddies.

A while later we saw her do to another younger cat what she did with the first kitten she encountered – she became the aggressor. So there really is no telling how she would react. Chances were it would be a negative reaction as she only ever took to one cat: Tommy (and that was without ANY hitches whatsoever!).

But Mary keeps on surprising us. She could not be bothered less by this youngster. Despite the youngster’s BEST efforts to get her to play, Mary feigned complete disinterest. The kitten would sneak up to her, take a quick sniff and then bat Mary with his paw, and then run like hell. Mary would look at the kitten like she is bored and continue to groom herself. The kitten would come running back, and when Mary looks up, kitten will roll in to a quick submission position on its back before darting off again.

It was just too cute for words, and we breathed a sigh of relief!

It could just be that she was acting this way because we were watching, or it could be that we taught her well: don’t play with strangers!

Taking a quick sniff before darting off, trying to get Mary’s attention!