Looking for a companion......
In July of 2006 after much thought and research I applied to the Bengal Cat Rescue Centre http://www.bengalcathelpline.co.uk/ to see if I would be lucky enough to be considered to adopt a Bengal. I say lucky as these little guys would normally cost £500 upwards to over £2,000 for a breeding cat (which is what Sophie was, she'd had one litter of kittens).
As luck would have it Sarah at the centre had a massive influx of ex breeding cats that needed rehoming and little Sophie was amongst them.
Sophie was described as very nervous, and a little hyper active - she was totally unused to being touched or held (so much so that when the previous owner tried to show her she bit the judge - well wouldn't you? On a rare occasion you get picked up someone is prodding you about- yeuk!).
I was getting regular reports on her - I only got one photograph as she never sat still long enough to have a photo taken - the only one I got was of a sad little cat in a litter tray! I look at photo's of Sophie now and can't believe she's the same cat!
Shy Sophie (or Isis as she was known then) - newly arrived at the rescue centre
Sophie was beginning to become a bit more confident and when a much larger Bengal boy picked on her she beat him up - much to Sarah's amusement, she said it served him right for trying to pick on a little target! Infact Sophie began to keep order amongst all the other little Bengal whippersnappers!
Finally the day came when I had to meet Sophie (or Isis as she was previously named) for the first time.
I travelled to the centre by train from London, all ready with a cat carrier. When I arrived Sophie was waiting. It was love at first sight for us both, she shyly rubbed against my hand and I was smitten! That was the easy bit - as every cat owner knows they don't really like cat carriers and Sophie was no different, when she was put into it she turned into the Tasmanian devil screaming and generally trying to rip it apart - and when I say 'screaming' that's exactly what Bengals do - it sounds like you're attempting to murder them! If you have heard some of the other exotic cats such as Siamese yell that pales into insignificance next to the yell of an annoyed Bengal!
I had no idea of how I would cope with her on the train, and then - silence! She lay down and apart from a tiny 'meh' noise, barely uttered a word all the way. And that, apart from when she's asleep, was the longest time she's stayed quiet since! To say these cats are vocal is the understatement of the year! If you're carrying a cat box everyone looks in it - and when they saw these huge green eyes and a weird little tiger creature staring back they all stopped to ask what on earth I had in there!
And that was the start of an amazing relationship............................
Sophie (and bunny!) now - a totally different kittie!