Hello, I'm Bonnie, your dedicated Aardvark Customer Support Specialist, and also parent to two splendid humans and four fabulous felines
I grew up with a sweet tabby cat called Jipke, in addition to a succession of rabbits, hamsters and goldfish. I also experimented with building ant and worm farms, but my parents wisely intervened and set the critters free after a short stay in their makeshift homes. When I moved away to go to university, I adopted a kitten (another tabby) and named her Knorretje, which is Dutch for Piglet. She was a classic grumpy cat, not one for petting and sitting on laps, just tolerating of the occasional chin scratch.
The current gang of felines are more affectionate and appreciative of human company. Bard was the first, I came across his picture and was instantly hypnotized by his bright blue eyes. He came from a very small-scale breeder of Balinese cats and after becoming a dad just once, he was looking for a forever home. Like most Siamese and Balinese, he’s extremely chatty and we have long conversations about all sorts of topics. Then came Ziggy, our flamepoint Ragdoll, he’s laidback and relaxed and gets along with anyone. We call him ‘puppy-cat’ because he fetches toys and is always inventing new ways to entertain himself. He’ll drop a ball from the top of the stairs, fetch it, and take it back up to repeat the game.
Cookie, our rescue from Abu Dhabi, is a real cuddlebug and always making biscuits on laps, except if you approach her with a hairbrush, which turns her into a fierce warrior, ready to use her claws and teeth against this instrument of torture. Being a Persian mix, unfortunately she is prone to matting, so I’ve now developed a ‘little and often’ approach with the brush and get a few stealth strokes in whenever she’s asleep. This way she gets less angry and I keep my hands intact! I still can’t understand how anyone could leave her at a petrol station, which is where she was found by her foster parent. The organisation Every Cat Matters (find them on Facebook) do amazing work, and Cookie was one of 28 rescue cats that arrived from the UAE to their new homes in the UK when she came to us. She's now happily eating Aardvark kibbles to offset her flight!
Last but not least we have Odin (affectionately known as ‘Odi-Wan Kenodi’ or ‘The Bagel Thief’), he’s a handsome Norwegian who wears his black and white tuxedo very well. This one turns up in all sorts of places, like inside the washing machine or on top of the clothes airer and thinks the litter tray is a comfy bed (yuck!). He goes absolutely crazy for toys that can be pounced and chased. I can’t imagine life without them, and they’ve definitely made the lockdowns in the last year more bearable. When you can’t see friends or family, it’s amazing to have four extra housemates to hang out with. Space permitting, I would have more… #savingupforamassivecatio