Cat Lady Centre Stage - Melanie B.

Bentley was adopted from the Humane Society (Edmonton) in 2011 at the age of 2 where he was the longest standing adoptee, but the only one to steal my heart.  Combat was adopted from a local rescue through a PetSmart in 2016 where I got to see his antics every day at work. 

My two stunning black boys may look similar but man are they far from that! Bentley is my quirky half Mainecoon, who could easily double as a therapy pet with his head boop greetings, and inability to leave a lap unattended. 

Now Combat is a bit of a character, rambunctious energy-filled chonk. We've had our fair share of fights, not quite sure who won but I'm convinced he broke me in and not the other way around. 

Is there anything the boys are super into right now? 

Bentley and I have recently been dealing with a food allergy to chicken, and the king also seems to only want the gravy from wet food! Hallelujah Weruva wet cat food packets ️ they come in so many flavors and he loves them all, I'm so thankful to find these! 

Combat is my toy cat, I've never had a cat enjoy real cat toys before. I've recently found these balls that are made of some sort of squishy foam at the Pet Valu they're about $2 he loses his mind for these things, I give it a little bounce and he's off to chase that thing till it disappears. 

How long have you been a cat lady? 

My first memory of being a cat lady would be probably when I was 3-4 and I'd go to my grandmothers and read all these cat bread books, by my 6th birthday my mom had gotten me my first cat (that I named TT for trailer trash haha) she lived 18 years and opened the door for my love of these sweet creatures. 

My favorite part about being a cat mom is when I've had a really hard day, and I feel like I'm about to start crying, I open the front door and both guys are waiting purring ready to wind around my legs. Instantly all negativity melts away. 

What is the most challenging part of being a cat mom? 

The hardest part about being a cat mom is never knowing when or if they're sick, and if they are the wait till your appointment and the whole car ride 1000 scenarios are running through your mind of all the worst things that could be happening with them. 

My passion for black cats happened when my first cat TT had gone into heat and escaped before her spaying and had a litter of kittens where I got to raise my first cat from a kitten, who's name was Pepper. He was the kindest Tomcat with swift movements, he wasn't a cuddly guy but he was always there when you needed him. I learned that black cats are the least adopted cats in shelters, and are also thought to be bad luck (with no proof I might add haha). A few years had passed since I lost Pepper... That's when I entered the humane society and the last cat in the very last kennel caught my eye and I walked up and went to grab his sign, but was caught off guard when his paw wrapped around my hand and he pulled me in, I looked at the staff member with tears in my eyes and said box him up please he's mine! And the rest is history ️ 

The hardest thing for me to do in life is accepting that I can't help and save every animal on this Earth, even if some days I can't remember that and it really brings me down. Doing anything you're able to do does help! Maybe you can just donate a few cans of Fancy Feast to the Humane Society or the Food Bank. ( Many people don't know the food bank also takes pet donations.)  My number one cat lady rule please adopt don't shop, just by rescuing/adopting a stray you save a life and allow more room in that shelter to help another. 

For now, this 2 cat family is nice and full, but you never know what the future holds for a crazy cat lady, or what soul mate is going to reach their paw out and grab me I guess we'll have to wait and see