This is our white Persian, Holly. She is four years old now. My daughter bought her when she was three months old. After having her for six months my daughter went overseas so we looked after Holly while she was away. Holly would hide under our house for days and only come out when she was starving. No amount of coaxing would tempt her out, until she was ready. This went on for a few weeks, until she felt settled. We tried keeping her in, but she would sneak out between our legs. She is as quick as a lightning bolt. We have other cats and amazingly she gets on with them all. She has a very loving nature.

One Easter, a couple of years ago, she disappeared. We searched the neighbourhood each night, calling her name. We went to the RSPCA. Called all the vet's in the vicinity and printed fliers. We had almost given up hope of ever seeing her again and were very distraught. Eight days later she came home and was on our front doorstep, grey instead of white, very bedraggled, and absolutely exhausted.

The next day we took her to our vet. She had a temperature. had been in a fight with another cat. Her back claws were broken and infected, so our vet put her on antibiotics and had to remove her claws. He said it looked like she had been locked up somewhere and dug her way out. She was a sight with bright blue bandaged back feet. Luckily cats claws grow back. Poor Holly. After all that, she became a well adjusted cat and has never stayed under the house again. We couldn't part with her and our daughter thought it best she stay with us. We love her very dearly and would love to know about her adventures for the eight days she was away. If only she could talk.

This is Eliza & Bridget. They are two years old. We got them from a friend who's cat had four kittens. He had homes for the other two, which were males. We were only going to have one, Bridget, as Eliza was a maybe. (Maybe a young girl he worked with would take her). As it turned out when we went to pick up Bridget, (it was my husband's birthday and because he was not happy getting another cat, I decided to give her to him for a present, then he would have to accept her.) Eliza, also didn't have a home. I couldn't separate them, when I saw them, so took them both. Presenting them to my husband for a birthday present. what could he say?

We found out when we got them home that Bridget was deaf. My husband & son then built a cat run in our back yard to keep Bridget safe. It has a cat door, so they can come inside when they please. Eliza hasn't been outside, other than in the cat run either. It wouldn't be fair on Bridget. It has worked out well.

Bridget is a terror. She sits on my computer when I am typing my emails & runs like someone is after her every evening. It is her "mad time". She loves jumping and knocking things off high places. Loves the vacuum cleaner and follows me around when I am vacuuming. Eliza hates the vacuum cleaner & runs out her cat door every time she sees me getting it out of the cupboard. Bridget also loves light from torches or reflections.

One evening I was watching TV & happened to look outside the glass door & to my horror saw Bridget outside, walking up and down, looking in at me each time she passed by. I couldn't believe my eyes. How was I going to get her in again. I grabbed the torch, went outside and just shone the torch on the grass. Sure enough she came from nowhere and pounced on the beam of light, so I quickly pounced on her & brought her back inside, much to her disgust. She must have sneaked out when I went outside that evening and I don't know how long she had been out.

They are great mates and both are very affectionate, both to us and each other.. Eliza is the sensible one and she is very mature & wise. We wouldn't be without them, as they are great company.

Here is Sofie. Sofie is currently on a diet. She was a stray and wondered into our garage when my husband, Bert was tinkering with his boy things there. He took her around the neighborhood knocking on doors to see if anybody knew who owned her, but no one did. Apparently, she had been hanging around next door for a couple of days. We fed Sofie and that was it, she was ours.

We put a found notice in our local paper, but nobody claimed her. We took her to the vet where she was inoculated and spayed.

She is now nine years old and has had a very secure life with us. She is very friendly towards us and all other humans. A real lap cat, but very selective with the company she keeps with our other cats and tolerates them, just.

Here is James. My husband, Bert named him after James Bond. James is five years old now. He came to me from some school kids, who came knocking at our door one day with him. They found him on the nature strip two streets away. One of the girls took him home and her mother told her to bring the kitten to me. At the time we had a number of cats and her mother thought I would know what to do with this kitten.

I took him to the vet. He was three weeks old and the vet bottle fed him and looked after him for the next three weeks. I then gave him a home with us he has been living with us since then and is a bit of a Mama's Boy.

James is a bit of a larrikin and is very selective with the humans he comes in contact with and he really doesn't like many people, but he gets along with the other cats in our family.

Here is Timothy. Timothy is 12 years old now. He came to us from a girlfriend of my daughter, who found him when he was about eight weeks old. He settled in and became part of our family too.

Timothy doesn't like Sofie and they have a few tiffs now and again. His mate is James. They get on very well together.

Timothy is a bit of a loner. He suffers from sinus problems and sneezes quite a bit seasonally. He had to have his sinuses drained a couple of years ago, as he stopped eating and couldn't smell his food. The vet told us that if cats cannot smell they don't eat. Anyway, the operation was great success and he hasn't looked back.

All images and text is Copyright © Sue Middelhuis