Write about your first pet.
When my sister and I were young, we had a family cat called Timmy. He was a black and white cat we had for a couple of years, until I was about six. He ran off while we were on holiday in Ireland and never came back. He was a little feral.
My first real domestic pet of my own was my cat “Lizzy”. She was named after the character in the children’s TV series “Lizzie Dripping”, although as I got older I started telling people she was named after Elizabeth I because of my interest in the Tudors.
I had Lizzy for a long time, 16 years in total from the age that f 10. A lovely black and white cat who died of kidney failure in 1996, like many cats do. It’s unbelievable to think that my favourite childhood cat will have been gone for 30 years this April 1st.
Animals definitely choose you. When we went to look for a kitten, I remember walking into a room where there were four to six kittens on a sofa. Some hid, some were shy, and there was Lizzy perched right at the end, stretching forward and wanting to know who we were. She made the decision for us and we immediately knew she was the one.
We took her home in a cardboard box and she soon settled in. In those days it was normal to let your cat roam outside out without thinking twice. In the same way it was safer for children to play outside at that time, the same applied to cats. She would go off hunting, then come home to sleep and eat. She was nearly always in my bedroom resting snd sleeping and I still have very fond memories of her. I absolutely loved that little cat.
What I liked even more was that she was a one person cat. She mainly wanted my company and would often hiss at others unless she was getting fed. A couple of years later, my sister got cats of her own, Polly and then Heidi, and Lizzy’s nose was properly put out. She was never quite the same after that and always made her feelings known that she did not approve of other cats in the house.
Even though my bedroom was on the first floor, Lizzy would come and go through my window. She’d meow when she wanted to come in, climbing up a bush to reach the porch above the front door, then jumping onto the windowsill. She used that bush so often that there was a permanent pathway worn through the centre where she would make her way up.
As my sister and I were quite young when we first had her, we used to have little parties in a walk in cupboard and Lizzy would be the guest of honour. She would tuck into all sorts, including classic cat “treats” like Wotsits and even the odd bit of Mars Bar. Now there was a cat who enjoyed sweets and I think she would even lick our refresher sweets. She also liked ready salted crisps.
Another memory that has always stayed with me is from 1981, after a three week holiday when Lizzy was just one year old. She had been left in a cattery. In those days the cats were kept in small sheds. Before we even saw her, we could hear all the cats meowing. When I called her name and she realised we were there to get her, she let out the loudest meow and got so excited. She was so happy that it didn’t bother her being in the car. As we drove home she was roaming around being affectionate, clearly pleased to see us again. Once we got back, we realised the excitement had got to her and she’d left us a little present. Bless her.
You always remember your first pets fondly. The memory of Lizzy lives on forever in my heart. She was grumpy, she would spit and hiss at others, but she was my favourite cat. And she loved prawns and would go mad for them!
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