Part 1 - Fiona

I haven't shared much of my life with cats in the past. I've always considered myself a dog lover. But I haven't had a pet for some 20 plus years. My wife and I found ourselves with an empty house after Ashley our daughter moved out on her own. This was more of an issue for Veronica than myself since she has always been a stay at home mom. Things were just too quiet and with some health issues it was difficult for her to be home all day alone.

We kicked the idea around at times with having an indoor cat. Veronica had a number of outside cats through the years but not really an exclusive indoor cat. We've also admired the looks of Bengal cats and reading about their unique personality. We happened upon a Bengal breeder in town and she asked me what I thought of the idea of adopting one. I really enjoy our freedom that we have, being able to leave town for long periods without any worries. But it didn't take much persuading. I thought it would be good for Veronica to have company during the day while I'm at work.

So I left the decision of choosing in her capable hands. That is with a little help from Ashley. Shortly after she left I received a phone call. Veronica, asking me what I thought about a large male. The father was a beautiful large Bengal while the mother was a pretty "petite" one. I was happy with whatever she wanted but she wanted my approval to help push her over the edge.

Welcome little Finnegan! Wait what?
So little "Finnegan" joined our family. He was such an adorable kitten, but aren't they all? Well a couple weeks later we took him in for his first veterinarian checkup. Needless to say we ended up a bit foolish as the doctor said, "umm, you know Finnegan is a girl right?" Well neither one of us ever attempted to confirm what the breeder told us. Unfortunately, the breeder trusted that their kids knew how to tell the difference from a male and female. Yeah, well…..

Ah, welcome Fiona!
So little "Finnegan" left a little boy and came home a little girl, "Fiona". Veronica called the breeder who promptly apologized and offered to take her back for an exchange. Well we had already bonded and there was no way we we're giving her up.

She's been with us for about 3 years now and has been a great addition. She's a very petite cat with a mind of her own! Not a lap kitty which is unfortunate but she isn't without her interesting ways.

Although we don't do this any longer, we originally toilet trained her (actually using the toilet). She picked up on it pretty well! But although peeing didn't seem to be a problem, pooping was a bit more difficult for her. We always knew a poo when it was coming as she would slowly raise a paw up as she went. But she seemed to stress about it every time she would go and we hated to see it. So we set her up with litter box and she seemed relieved.

Another rather odd thing that we managed to train her to do to this day is walking on a leash. This has caused problems though as she feels she is an outside cat now and constantly begs us to let her out. Even if it is just to tether her. She loves her walks and picks up a pretty good stride on straightaways!

Our Camping Buddy!
Since she has joined us we've purchased a travel trailer and take her camping with us. She is a great camper but a terrible traveler. She stresses out bad during the drive and takes quite a while for her to calm down and sleep. We tie her up when we're outside of the trailer and she is an instant hit with kids that walk by.

Fiona is a great companion and is greatly loved at our house!

Keep an eye out for part 2 when I introduce Bodie to the story!