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| Name: |
Arabella
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Age: |
Four years old
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| Gender: |
Female
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Kind: |
Domestic Shorthair
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| Home: |
Sydney, Australia
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Our cat Arabella, or Bella for short, joined the family a couple of years ago as a rescue cat. Despite a fairly traumatic background she quickly made herself at home and appointed us her servants, as cats do! Each day starts with a stretching routine that an Olympic gymnast would be proud of.
During the day she goes on regular patrols of our property to ensure there are no intruders. If she discovers other cats from the neighborhood, she gives them a sharp hiss of warning. However, there is one other black cat that visits occasionally and sweetly serenades Bella from the edge of property. She tolerates this.
Bella also has a cat's typical curiosity and whenever a cardboard box is lying around, she'll jump into it and explore, or start washing – like it is a shower cube. When visitors come, Bella quickly sizes up whether they are cat lovers. If they are, she abandons all decorum and raises her rear end to them – meaning ‘gimme a bum scratch.'
Bella has an ongoing battle with the local mynah birds and sometimes races up the backyard tree chasing them. The birds taunt her from the far branches and Bella answers back mimicking their cries. The stand-off usually comes to an end when the mynahs start dive-bombing her and she beats a hasty retreat - while of course maintaining a completely insouciant demeanor.
At the end of another busy day, Bella takes first dibs on bed positions – often to the exclusion of the other bed occupants – and during the night continues her land grab so that, come morning, it is not unusual for us to be bundled in one corner of the bed while Bella lords over the major half of it. She maintains the right to claim ownership of other areas of the house as well – even if they aren't really intended for her.
We never cease to be amazed at the delightful expressiveness of this little creature and are thankful for the happiness she has brought to our home.
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