Number Six

"Number Six" came to the RAPS cat sanctuary along with the cats belonging to volunteer Ruth (Sophie, George, Whiskers, Socks) but, interestingly, he wasn't one of Ruth's cats. Rather, he'd belonged to a friend of Ruth's nephew. At the time, Ruth's cats had numbered five (the fifth died before the group came to the sanctuary). Since nobody knew the name of the additional cat, he was temporarily dubbed Number Six. The name stuck for a time, but I notice that recently someone at the sanctuary has added a new name, Schroder, in brackets next to the name Number Six on the sign outside the cats' room.

Number Six / Schroder can be a bit hard to read when you first meet him, seeming to be enjoying his comfy bed too much to give a clear indication of what kind of cuddles he'd most like to receive.

On our first meeting, I tried to rouse him with the help of a feathery cat toy. This certainly got his attention, but still wasn't enough to make him want to leave the warmth of his bed.

On the second occasion, I went for a chin scratch and behind-the-ears tickle, both of which he liked. He was so pleased, in fact, that he climbed out of bed and onto a nearby cat tree... at least for a moment or two before he decided that I could tickle him just as well in his bed.

He turns out to be less of a fan of having his back stroked, but seems willing to be forgiving if the mistake is quickly rectified. We humans need a little training to get these things right, after all.