Read time: 3 mins
This weekend we chatted over coffee with Shelagh, a community mental health nurse that lives in Lancashire with her blue Abyssinian Minnie.
We want to know everything about Minnie Moo Moo and how you came to have such a rare beauty in your life.
I wanted to adopt a cat from a local shelter, but they wouldn’t let me have one, because all of the cats that were available were indoor/outdoor cats. One of them was only a few months old, so I called my vet and asked if a cat so young would adapt to being an indoor-only cat. They said it would easily adapt. Unfortunately, the shelter still wouldn’t let me have him because he ‘liked’ to go outside. So, I began looking online at various cats that were for sale. Then I came across a beautiful-looking cat, a breed I had never seen before, an Abyssinian. She was gorgeous and I fell in love with her straight away. I immediately contacted the breeder to see if she was still available, and she was! She was 4 years old and needed rehoming as she didn’t get along with the other cats in the house. She does actually hate other cats and dogs. However, I feel that another reason she needed to be rehomed was because she had served her purpose. She had provided the breeder with two litters and been crowned Grand Champion in shows, twice. I didn’t care why she was being rehomed, I just wanted her. A few days later, I travelled to Leeds with my son and my grandson. We were introduced to Jasmine (now Minnie Moo Moo), and the rest, as they say, is history. I’ve had her for almost 6 years.
So fate brought the two of you together! Sounds like it was meant to be. As well as the exquisite name change, are there any other nicknames that go alongside Minnie Moo Moo?
Of course – Sugar Plum. Sweetpea. Baby girl. Darling.
And tell us more about you, you’re a community mental health nurse?
I certainly am, I qualified in September 1999. I moved into Community Nursing in 2010 and I have no plans to move yet. It’s a good team. Prior to starting my Nurse training, I worked in a factory making surgical dressings but my dream job would be to work in a cat shelter.
You’re not the first to say that, we know how to find the true cat people. Did you always know you were a cat person?
I grew up with dogs and didn’t really like cats. I always imagined them to be dirty because they are outside all of the time. When I was younger I didn’t realise that some cats never go outside. In 2018, I decided that I needed a companion, and I was interested in getting a dog. Unfortunately, my working hours are very long, so it wouldn’t have been fair to a dog to be alone in the house every day for so long. So, along came Minnie Moo Moo, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So let’s talk weekends. What’s a typical Saturday routine for the two of you?
Minnie Moo Moo likes to stick to a routine, if possible. She usually wakes me up around 6 am wanting her breakfast. So I get up and feed her and go back to bed for half an hour. Then I get up, shower and get dressed. By this time Minnie Moo Moo has eaten her breakfast, jumped up on the bed with me, followed me to the bathroom where she patiently waits for me to finish in the shower and then followed me back to the bedroom. Breakfast is usually toast, porridge or cereal with a milky coffee. Minnie Moo Moo is by my side the whole time. She follows me everywhere I go. I leave her at home whilst I go and do some shopping and when I return, I’ll give her some dried food that she has to ‘work’ for from a treat dispenser toy, a bit of fun and stimulation. We then sit cuddling in the chair together, whilst watching TV or reading a book. Later in the afternoon, we have playtime. She has a lot of toys but there are only certain ones that she will play with on her own. She actually likes make-up sponges for this! After our evening meals, we cuddle some more and then go to bed.
Do you have a Saturday anthem to go along with your usual routine?
These Days by Foo Fighters is my favourite song, but I’d actually play any of their albums.
And back to Minnie, what’s her favourite sneaky snack she maybe shouldn’t be munching?
A small plain crisp! (Oooops)!
OK last question, as an official cat person, what’s the coolest cat-related item you own?
Two beautiful cushions that were handmade by my ex Mother-in-law. They have embroidered cats and other patterns on them. They are absolutely stunning.
