Ferris

My story

Ciao, ragazzi!
I am proud to be the first Italian cat to ever grace this house. With nowhere to call home, I was spying on the new owners and their three cats – all of them black and white for some reason, must be an English thing – long before they caught sight of me. It was a blistering hot summer that year and my orange coat seemed to blend quite nicely with the colour of the orange dirt, so I was foxed them for a while. Then I got bored, so I began to quietly move closer and closer to the house, like a slithering serpent in the grass, except there was no grass, only burnt lawn. One day, I managed to jump the rather beautiful Smudge but she was having none of it. I got scratched and yelled at, but it wasn’t my fault I was still intact and she wasn’t! Hmm, must be another English thing. Anyway, over a few days, or could it be weeks, I started to make friends with an elegant young man called Edward and I made it to the veranda, from where I refused to budge. I received a small amount of crunchy things called biscuits – music to my ears – and as I realised how hungry I was, I was also delighted to see the portions slowly increase. The least I could do was wash up after myself and leave them a nice clean plate, ready for the next serving.

One day, I was captured and put into a strange box/cage/trap, whereupon I was transported in a rather noisy larger box to someone called a vet. All I can remember before I fell asleep is being jabbed with a sharp, pointy needle, and the rest is history.

Life today

I am FIV+ which means that my immune system is very frail and I am prone to catching all kinds of colds, coughs, infections etc. I am not an aggressive cat but in my previous life I probably had one too many fights with other homeless cats – out on the streets it’s kill or be killed – and possibly caught the virus from one of them. We’ll never know but the important thing is that I’m very well looked after by my humans. I’m on cyclical treatment to support my immune system and I quite like the extra fuss!

I love being outdoors but I don’t really venture too far. I do like to follow Edward as he’s my favourite I love to call out ‘Edward, Edward, it’s me Ferris!’ but sometimes he just pretends not to hear and carries on walking. I am also quite fond of the dogs and like to think I’m one of them too. I jump up for extra licks on the head from Peanut and Cookie, but I think Pepper is scared of me as she gives me a wide berth. I’m not too keen on Happy as I think he may have chased me once upon a time, but I tolerate him when he comes indoors at night during the winter as he’s an elderly chap and we are supposed to respect our elders.

I had the greatest privilege of knowing a tiny little kitten with no eyes called Opus. Between me and Earl – who was a bit too feisty towards me for my liking – Opus was a very special cat who we loved to pamper and spoil. Unfortunately, he left us one day and everyone was very, very sad, but I still look for him from time to time in the hope of seeing him again. As I am one of the original members of the current house I have seen many little cats come through these doors, and as I just love to play and pamper the young ones, my world couldn’t be any better.


Me and one of my best friends, Opus. I still miss him.

My future

As long as my FIV is kept under control, I believe I will be here for many years to come. My annual vaccinations are kept up to date and I have regular check-ups. The minute anything seems wrong or I appear to have lost any weight, I’m whisked off to my favourite vet, poked and prodded, sometimes persuaded to donate some of my blood, and usually given the all-clear.

In May 2023 I suddenly felt unwell. My mouth was giving me a lot of pain and I couldn’t eat. Before long, one side of my face ballooned, so I was swiftly escorted to the vet where an abscess at the back of my mouth was discovered. I was put on a course of antibiotics and cortisone injections. Now I am feeling a lot better, but I need to gain a bit more weight.

Stats

My estimated age on arrival in 2017: one year.
I have no idea what I weighed in 2017, but in October 2018 I weighed an impressive 6.8 kg.
In January 2023 I weighed 6.3 kg.
In May 2023 I weighed 5.4kg, and in August only 5.1kg, so I have some catching up to do.

I tested negative for FeLV, but positive for FIV.
I am neutered and fully vaccinated.

Star Qualities

I am known as the Lion King, with my majestic ruff I am the mellowest cat you will ever meet and I love to snuggle up to people even letting them lay their head on me like a pillow.

Habits

Apparently I run like an armadillo. Well, that’s just charming! I usually have to race Edward to the bed so that I too can ‘hug’ my humans, but my claws are not as sharp as Edward’s so I get more of a welcome. I love biscuits and could eat them all day long. I also like to catch lizards and birds but if I’m caught by my humans I have to try to outrun them before they can take my catch off me if it’s still alive. I think they want me to know how it feels to be the prey!