Charlie was adopted mostly so he could be a playmate for Winter, Jamie’s beautiful black “manja pot” cat.
She remembers Charlie as playful and sporty, one of four kittens that a rescued mama cat had given birth to.
“Yet, he was a little stiff when I picked him up to examine him closely. He did not purr or protest. Neither did he show any signs of affection,” Jamie says, adding that she was told his name was Jacqamo.
So, after watching him run around with his siblings a bit more, Jamie decided to adopt him, keeping in mind that she would have to return the kitten if Winter took a dislike to him.
Jamie remembers their first meeting and how nervous she was that Winter would reject him.
“Winter meets his new playmate for the first time. He sniffs him out, walks around him looking cautiously at this little foreign kitten who is just frozen and scared of his new environment.
“Winter looked the kitten in the eye, then walked away, showing disinterest. However, a few minutes later, he came back to sniff at him once more, then started licking his face. Ahhh! Signs of acceptance. All is good,” Jamie says.
Settling in with Jacqamo was frustrating at times, Jamie recalls, mostly because he wasn’t toilet-trained and used to run away from her when she tried being affectionate with him – “the opposite of Winter who is loving, gentle and very manja.”
Jamie also had a hard time relating to the kitten’s French name. So, she tried out a few other names on him.
Tiger! Nothing
Summer! Nothing
Orange? Nothing
Charlie? He winked. She called him again. And he winked again.
“That must be it! Charlie will be his name,” Jamie said, feeling jubilant.
So, Charlie eased into the family but Jamie was still not very fond of him. “He would terrorize Winter – pounce on him whenever they were playing or he was laying on the bed.”
Jamie believes Charlie was trying to claim the “alpha spot” but she would have none of that and always tapped his tushie to tell him off.
Needless to say, the first few months with the new kitten were a nightmare, Jamie says.
“But there is also this side of him that is silly, jumpy, inquisitive and playful. And his meow sounds like he’s calling me ‘mom’. He shows affection in his own way, by doing ‘shoulder rolls’ on the floor and just lying there belly up wanting me to pet him like a dog,” she says.
“He would just sit there and stare into the distance with his good-looking face like a pharaoh striking a pose on his throne.
Jamie says his sheer length and size was amazing for a mid-sized cat. And his purrs were as loud as his size was big.
“He would make these incredible leaps up in the air trying to catch your hand to play with him.
“His cuteness, brashness and playfulness won me over. Over time my heart softened for him and he’s now officially part of my family,” Jamie says.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.
