Guest Reader's Cats Of The Week: Precious And Pouncer

Names? 

Precious and Pouncer

Nicknames? 

Precious: Ladybug, Angel, The Superwiser Cat.

Pouncer: Les Ponce, Monster, Moosha.

Theme Tune? 

Precious: Working 9-5, Dolly Parton

Pouncer: Charlie No. 1, The Whitlams

Ages? 

Both 5.

Owner? 

Rebecca McMahon. Antipodean. Makeup Artist. Workaholic.

Brief biography? 

After walking the streets in floods of tears after Battersea Dogs and Cats home told Rebecca she’d be a bad cat owner, her mother in Australia said to “just throw money at it” and directed her to a pet store in the Docklands. There she was told they had “one cheap cat” left. He was obviously going home with her. Then she had to choose another from a rambunctious litter running about a different enclosure. At the back was a very small, delicate young lady that flopped when picked up and elicited the words, “Aren’t you just precious!?” from Rebecca’s mouth. And then it was done.

Precious: We live in a house in Surrey now. We won’t be inside. Ever. In fact, we’ve worked out that Pouncer is strong enough to actually rip cat flaps out of the door frame if we really need to escape. Personally, I prefer to be a little more strategic about things and I’ve actually figured out how to unlock the cat flap if Rebecca tries to keep us in at night. I’d like to think that I’m the brilliant mastermind of the house, Pouncer is the muscle and Rebecca is in charge of making sure we’re warm and giving us food on demand.

Catchphrase? 

Precious: Do you really think it should be like that?

Pouncer: I’m hungry, feed me.

Favourite Habits? 

Precious: Rolling in dirt. Rolling from side to side. Attacking pillows of catnip. Following Rebecca into taxis. Demanding to be picked up as Rebecca emerges from her evening bath.

Pouncer: It’s a toss up between waiting for dinner or stalking Precious. I also enjoy meeting Rebecca on the corner when she gets home each night and screeching really loudly because she’s late with my dinner. It’s good fun to see her struggle with her heavy cases and try not tread on me. Ha ha!!!

What constitutes a perfect evening for you? 

Precious: I like being stroked whilst eating dinner. There is nothing better than being stroked and eating at the same time. Heaven. I also enjoy wildlife programs, my scratch post and rolling from side to side on the floor

.

Pouncer: I *love* dinner time!! I also enjoy eating Precious’ dinner. I swear it tastes better than mine. Most nights I spend a lot of time finding ways to scare Precious while she’s rolling from side to side on the floor or sneaking up on her in general. If I’m not very successful with those projects, I like to be wherever Rebecca is.

Favourite food? 

Precious: Rebecca’s left overs. But they have to be from her plate, not my bowl.

Pouncer: ALL FOOD. We still haven’t quite forgiven Rebecca for withdrawing the Applaws supply. She said something about us going out and earning our own living so we could pay for it but we ignore most of what she says, to be honest.

Defining moment of your life? 

Precious: For the initial portion of my life, I was an independent woman. I wanted to conquer the world and leave my mark. I had no interest in emotional attachments with other animals or people. All that changed after an ill advised fling with Pouncer (talk about a lapse in judgement) resulted in three kittens. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a hippy, dippy earth mother, but I realised there is more to life. These days I don’t worry about my figure so much, I like to follow Rebecca everywhere she goes, I discovered the joys of rolling from side to side. It was pretty life changing.

Pouncer: I think it was when the lurcher that lives two doors over tried to eat me. Thankfully I’m rather athletic and made a hasty getaway, but not before he got the end of my tail. I’m not really into other people or animals anymore. I have a brilliant plan to make sure it never happens again. Whenever I hear anyone or anything coming up the front steps, I race out the back door cat flap. Strategic brilliance, if you ask me.

Any enemies? 

Precious: Pouncer

Pouncer: That lurcher. The one that tried to eat me. And the postman. Why he is he so terrifying???

If you could do one thing to make the world a better place for felines what would it be? 

Precious: Fill it with warm places to hide. But not ones that you can get stuck in. *Mental note: never ever try to hide inside the duvet cover again. It’s inescapable and rather frightening!!!*

Pouncer: make the world a place where you can scratch *everything* and an endless supply of tasty food.

If you could meet a celebrity who would it be and why? 

We’re not particularly phased by celebrity, to be honest. It’s not our thing. Maybe Christian the lion.

Which one of the cats in Under The Paw and Talk To The Tail  would you like to be stuck in a lift with? 

Precious: I think I have quite a lot in common with Shipley. He seems to be quite down to earth and unaffected, just like me. I think we’d get along nicely.

Pouncer: I’m scared of lifts. What do you mean I have to be stuck in one??? If I really have to answer this, then I’m going to go with The Bear. Just because I think he might be equally as unhappy as I am at the thought of having to be in a lift *and* being stuck in it.