The furry friend tag

I found this cute tag on HelloZelda and decided to give it a go so you could all get to know Charlie a little better!

Q. What is his/her name?
A. Charlie! Vince actually came up with the name and while it is one of my nicknames he actually came up with it as when he was a child there used to be a black cat called Charlie that would always be around his house that he just loved so this was in homage to him!

Q. When did you get Charlie?
A. We got him in January, 2013. I wanted a kitten for ages and had been looking on the internet one morning when I spotted an advert. We went to see him that afternoon and he came home with us.

Q. What is something Charlie does that annoys you?
A. He can get quite scratchy/bitey when you just want to stroke him and he also meows REALLY loudly when we're trying to watch TV. Such an attention seeker.

Q. What type of breed is Charlie?
A. He is just a general shorthaired tom cat - common as muck!

Q. Has Charlie ever had a near death experience?
A. Not that I'm aware of. I do worry though because we live on a bus route so I have horrid visions of him going under a bus. If only you could teach animals the green cross code.

Q. Does Charlie know any tricks?
A. To put it bluntly - no!

Q. Does Charlie love to snuggle?
A. He's not the type to come and sit on your lap and curl up but he often sleeps on the bed so I will go up to see him and he loves to be tickled under the chin and around the ears so in that respect he is quite snuggly.

Q. Where did you get Charlie?
A. Looking back I wish I had visited some rehoming centres before getting Charlie but unfortunately we didn't. Maybe I'll try there next time…anyway I saw an advert online for Charlie and it turned out the owner of him was actually living in a caravan near a football field. He said he was between places, which was strange looking back, as it was winter and he was just living in this tiny caravan with five cats. It was pretty messy but the guy was very friendly and quite obviously a big cat lover.

I probably shouldn't have judged based on first impressions but I couldn't really help it. It turned out he was very nice and even let us have Charlie for cheaper than what he was asking for.

Q. Does Charlie get along with other animals?
A. I don't think he's keen on dogs. I've seen him spot a dog and freeze on the spot, he's also not keen on next door's dog either but I think most cats are like this unless they're living with one. With other cats he's as you would expect, quite territorial, but recently another cat came to visit him about three days in a row and he let her come and play and they sat in the garden together, which was really cute.

Q. Does Charlie get along with strangers?
A. No, he get's quite scared when people come round. It usually takes quite a few hours before he'll make an appearance. He does like Vince's parents and brother and sister though!

Q. How much does Charlie weigh? A. On his last vet visit he weighed just under 4kg, which is the average weight for a male cat of his age so he's right on target!

Q. Do you ever dress Charlie up?
A. No, never!

Q. Has Charlie ever tried to run away?
A. No, he always comes back in the evenings for his dinner!

Q. How much does he/she mean to you on a scale of 1-10? A. Definitely more than 10! I'm so, so glad we got him and he's fit in really well. I couldn't imagine not having him.

Let me know if you've enjoyed this tag and if you do it too!

The Pet Tag - Meet Charlie

If you're a regular reader of my blog you probably would have come across my kitten, Charlie. I saw The Pet Tag over on the lovely Bee's blog and I just had to do it myself and introduce you all properly to Charlie.

What is your pets name?
Charlie. Vince actually came up with the name Charlie although my own nickname is Charlie as well so it's a bit weird...

Does your pet have any nicknames?
Charlie Barley or Charlie Barley Booba depending on his cuteness levels at the time!

How old is your pet and how long have you had your pet friend? According to his previous owner, Charlie was born in November 2012, so he is around seven months old. He is really small for his age though and probably won't get much bigger. We have had Charlie since January when he was a cute bundle of fluff.

We went to see a litter of kittens and we wanted a boy cat. One was handed to me and he immediately snuggled into the fur on my coat unlike the others who were jumping around everywhere. He was the only one that let me hold him and we just knew there and then!


How did you get your pet?
We were thinking of getting a pet for a little while. I was constantly looking online but there weren't many around for sale or they were quite expensive. One morning I came across an advert online about a little of six black kittens so I asked Vince if we could go and have a look. It turned out the kittens were living in a caravan on a football pitch...which was a little unnerving but the owner was really friendly and the kittens were gorgeous. I did want to take them all away but we chose Charlie.

Looking back I think we should have perhaps looked at some rescue cats but I can't imagine not having Charlie now.

What are some quirky things about your pet's personality?
When he was a teeny tiny kitten he used to sit on my shoulder like a parrot. He doesn't do it so much now that he's older but there is the odd occasion where he's feeling particularly snuggly and he'll come and sleep on my chest and throat! He has a very squeaky meow and he loves chasing flies and birds. He is also very puzzled by the washing machine. He liked to try and chase the drum as it circles and he scratches at the door. It's so funny! He's quirky in his own funny way I suppose.

What are some of your favourite past times with your pet and what are your favourite memories?
we haven't had him even for a year yet so he is still very new to the house. My favourite memory is being home from work on a snow day. I was trying to do my work but Charlie kept peeking over the top of my laptop. It was pretty distracting!

Another quite worrying memory is being in the bedroom when he climbed up the curtains. He made it to the curtain pole and tried to jump/fly onto the bed but instead I heard a huge crash as he'd landed on the floor between the curtains and the bed. It must have hurt!