My Girl Fifi

My Girl Fifi

by John Sweatt-Drake
(Sacramento, CA USA)

Josephine Marie, AKA Fifi

Josephine Marie, AKA Fifi

Attached is a picture of my cat, a 5 year old shelter rescue female named Fifi. I don't have any papers on her, of course, but I do believe she has a fair amount of Maine Coon Cat in her ancestry.

She has the ruff, the huge bushy tail, and the large, tufted paws. And of course, she has a high-pitched, trilling voice. In fact, she has everything a Maine Coon has except for the lynx tips on her ears. I would like to share some of her personality traits and see if anyone else out there has had similar experiences with their cats.

First off, she's not really a lap cat. She will on very rare occasions lie on my lap, but she generally prefers to lie beside me or at my feet.

She can also be very demanding when she wants attention. She likes to stand on her hind legs and put her front paws in my lap so I can nuzzle her behind her ears. And when she *really* wants attention, she's taken to petting me! Yes, she will rub me with her front paw. It's the strangest thing - it's almost like she is mimicking my petting her.

And I've noticed a bit of a change in her personality lately. 2 weeks ago, I was admitted to the hospital with a severe asthma attack. I made sure that Fifi had enough food and water to last a couple of days, and made arrangements for a friend to visit her and feed her if I was gone more than overnight. The next evening, when I got home, Fifi was there to greet me as usual but then she lay down facing away from me and gave me a "time out" for about 10 - 15 minutes. Since then, she has been especially clingy. She will lie down *on* my feet - so that I can not go anywhere at all without her knowing about it. She also will go into my room at night and rub my leg when I'm sleeping. It's starting to seem like I'm the pet in the household.

But as weird as her behavior is, she's still my furry little girl, and I love her to death.

John

My Girl Fifi to Maine Coon Cats

Comments for
My Girl Fifi

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 14, 2010 Wrapped around her finger
by: Finn Frode, Denmark

Oh, she really knows how to wrap you around her finger, doesn't she. Down to playing hard to get when you leaves her... 😉 But she clearly loves you too, no doubt about that.
Our old Norwegian Milly taps the way Michael talks about too. Cats are smart and they have to learn to communicate in ways that even we mere humans understand.
Another happy adoption and one more shelter cat turned into a lovely princess. Thank you for sharing this heartwarming story.


Feb 13, 2010 Love
by: Michael

Your love for Fifi speaks from the page. It is very apparent and this creates a close bond between cat and person that allows a cat to behave in a relaxed manner fully expressing him/herself. That is my experience.

My girl cat is like Fifi is some ways. She taps me on the face when she wants something when I have ignored her first vocal reminder and her second which is a complaining scream.

Then she taps me again with a single claw out - true, just one claw is extended slightly and she picks at my skin! That works normally.

When we talk love stuff she licks my nose and occasionally just nips it with her teeth! A pure love bite.

And when I go away she is fed up with me when I return and it shows in her expression and body language until she forgives me and becomes clingy like Fifi.

I see our relationship as an equal one, creature to creature. I don't see her as a cat just a living creature, my mate. I am sure she sees me the same way and treats me a bit like I treat her. For cat, if we give and love, we get it all back. If we are aggressive and unpleasant to cats they return it.

Michael Avatar


Leave a Comment

follow it link and logo