Manon on Nala’s cat talk and sleeping champion Chess
Manon on Nala’s cat talk and sleeping champion Chess
In a nice single-family home in Dirksland, South Holland, Manon (30) lives with her boyfriend Marco (32) and her two cats Chess and Nala – cute names, but are they actually cute?
Where did you and your cats meet?
Well, it actually happened quite by accident. I really wanted a kitten and my employer knew that. Her cat got pregnant quite unexpectedly – she was on the pill – and had a litter. And there I was allowed to pick two kittens. I chose a brother and a sister.
Why did you choose these two rascals?
When I went to see the litter, it really was love at first sight. Chess and Nala were gorgeous anyway. They are crossbreeds Scottish Fold and British Shorthair and you can see that in their beautiful soft fur and their little ears. But of course they are also very sweet and affectionate. Both traits that clearly come from the two different breeds. My cats got the best of both cat breeds.
Do your cats have any other special traits?
Chess and Nala are both incredibly sociable and affectionate – they always come to me or my boyfriend to get a cuddle or lie on our laps. Especially when we lay on the couch in the evening, they are very affectionate with us. That is also one of my favourite moments with my cats.
‘CHESS PRETENDS TO BE TOUGH AND NALA LOVES TO CHAT!’
Nala is pretty tough for a girl and loves attention. Where I am, she is too. Super cosy in my opinion. Nala is a lot more active than Chess and also likes to play more. She prefers playing with a soft ball or the Funky Rebel that comes with the cat tree. And she also loves to chat!
Chess is the lazier of the two, though. He really is a champion at sleeping and prefers to do so in his scratching post. We have just bought a new one – the third cat tree from Petrebels already. Furthermore, Chess pretends to be very tough but he is not at all, haha. And when he wants attention he lets me know very clearly by meowing loudly.
Back to the cat names for a moment. Who chose them and what are their nicknames?
I didn’t want standard names for my cats. You don’t hear Chess and Nala much and I think those names are very pretty and fit them well. But Marco and I also often call Chess ‘friend’ or ‘fatty’ and Nala we usually call ‘tuttie’, haha.
What does a day with Chess and Nala look like?
When I wake up in the morning and go downstairs, they immediately come to me and I give them a stroke. When I go to eat, they also start begging for some treats and I give them that. When I come home from work they also get a cuddle and some food. But it’s never enough, because when my boyfriend and I are sitting at the table they come again to see if there’s anything left to get. In the evening on the sofa, the cats come and snuggle with us and the four of us relax. And before bedtime, I change the litter boxes, give them fresh water and kibble, cuddle with them and close our blinds. Chess never likes that and he clearly shows it. And the next morning this ritual starts all over again. So fun!
That you love cats is obvious, but what do you like most about them?
Cats – and mine in particular – love to cuddle. They are affectionate and always come to lie with me and my friend. But if they don’t feel like it, they just don’t. And that’s what I love about cats: they are incredibly stubborn.
Manon remodelled her living room and of course that included a nice new cat tree for Chess and Nala. She chose the Vista 170 in cappuccino. It matches her new interior perfectly and the cats love it, because it has enough space, nice thick scratching posts and lots of lovely places to snore.
