Frankie the Fella updates will be every so often. Just updating from time to time as it seems a nice gentle blog to create. Maybe a once a month upload. It is very relieving to write of a new animal partnership situation that is so very different from the decades past. With both working alongside Deaf adult students in education and subsequent Staff Nurse career status experiences, having a full on focus on training for both careers meant ‘pets’ were perceived as very different. I do not like that phrase ‘pets’. It demeans a life force. But our two children growing up wanted ‘pets’.

To me? Personalities of the complexities of animal nature were involved. The wonderful Cat, Tuppence, we brought from living in a City situation to a new Welsh countryside environment was a chilled one. She was an ‘us as adults accepting a kitten’ choice when first getting her. No children yet. We witnessed a personality of gentleness. Tuppence settled into the quieter surroundings of Wales nicely. She lived a longish 18 years. But was only here in Wales a couple of years. When Tuppence eventually died, I thought ‘No more cats’. I liked the name Tuppence. A name born from the Agatha Christie tales of Tommy and Tuppence stories. But, to reiterate ‘No more cats’.

Then, a local feral farm kitten, born in one of the barns of our friend, a farmer’s wife, became a part of the family. Also became a massive challenge. The children wanting her after my friend the farmer’s wife brought her to the door. My arguments against having her were batted away within minutes. Squealing children maybe, but I cannot remember. But can 99% guess as to the reason we now had an addition I would be looking after fully. Saffi as a wild barn feral kitten to cat was never truly settled to suiting a family home situation. Saffi was never ever a contented home cat. She was always going outside in the fields and woods to roam. Human contact never suited her. Apart from my son, who broke through the wild character and got her to accept the chill of ‘Reeeeeee-lax’. However, in general Saffi fought human comfort throughout her life. At times, she’d disappear and we thought she’d gone forever. Only to come back weeks later. Not thinner either. Probably had second and third homes somewhere. Or lived off mice in barns. She lived until nearly 20 years old.

Now, with Frankie, it is a gentler approach in retirement. Again, I didn’t want him. I could see the bigger picture again. My wife, daughter and grandchildren were the persuaders. My daughter and four grandchildren wanted to keep him. But moving to a new ‘pets not allowed’ bigger home meant they couldn’t. And also, it seems lots of people, from internet information, are cat experts and homes should befit a cat’s nature. Bengal cats are drooled over despite being a challenge. Frankie’s Mum is pure Bengal. Frankie’s Dad is very, very likely a local Maine Coon. The vet said as much when the first inoculation was given.

There is a huge well known local Maine Coon cat that roams around the streets where my daughter lived until recently. He apparently struts like he owns them. His name is probably Top Cat too. All the locals around my daughter’s ‘now recent old house’ fuss over him. I have read a few interesting internet observations regarding the character mix of a Bengal/Maine Coon cross kitten to cat. There is a lot of variability in discussed views and very specific advice. So, with no conclusions but for a few ‘oh-oh’s, I suppose it is a ‘let’s wait and see’ situation. I don’t believe in star sign characteristics. So why did I look at cat zodiac signs characteristics. Leo’s are a character and then some apparently. Both Bengal/Maine cat types are fairly large breeds. So hopefully a gentle giant is on the cards with Frankie the Fella. But, the information states such breeds are both very active throughout life. So I could well be keeping fit through cat interactions. Already, Frankie doesn’t keep still during the day. Gets slower and more sleepy late afternoon. Has a few hours sleep, active for a couple more hours and settles to sleep at night. Needless to say with Angie working full time, I have not touched the music project whatsoever. Getting withdrawal symptoms actually. Bengals are very vocal and are said to ‘talk’, so any microphone recordings are going to include cat harmonies…….sung really badly.

And since picking Frankie the Fella up last Sunday? He’s certainly grown within just a few days. No overdoing the feeding either. Certainly not hungrily eating food quickly on witnessing his back and forth nonchalance of the bowl. Breakfast time he eats the lot in one go. So I know he likes the food brand. We tried him with a different brand from the pet store when buying cat equipment needs, and he turned his nose up at it. The next couple of his day’s meals are slowly eaten over an hour or two. I read two pouches of food a day are enough. He has three all in all. And dried food too. Just returns to the bowl as and when. When he was at my daughter’s house, his sister Church, was always around with him, upon finishing hers she would move on to his food and finish it before he got to truly focus upon his meal. My daughter had to isolate him with his own bowl. It may well be the case that this nonchalant aspect to his eating habit is that he is far too interested in what is going on around him. Life’s surrounding happenings are far more interesting than actually focusing on his meal. Frankie the Inquisitive Fella should be his full name.

A BUNCH OF PHOTOS SHOWING HIS COLOURS. PLEASE TAP ON EACH PHOTO TO ENLARGE.

Anyways. I feel like this blog is akin to one of those people that write their year’s history in letter form at Christmas time, photocopy it a fair few dozen times and to then send it out to all their family and friends inside the Christmas cards. When I read them from one particular friend they were full of both positive and negative energies. So, next time, I’ll keep Frankie updates a lot shorter and give positive vibes only. I reckon Frankie the Positive Fella is going to be the next blog title. And probably around Christmas time too. Maybe he’ll live up to his Zodiac Sign characteristics.