BLOGGERS + CATS...

Yes, it's back. The Bloggers + Cats schedule is a bit more fluid now, i.e. it's whenever the mood takes me and I happen upon someone I must feature. If it's here, it will always pop up on a Thursday.
Fear not, I'm still always scouring the internet for a hint of a tail or mention of a name that might lead me to a new interview. Instagram is proving to be a fertile hunting ground for B + C victims and Ismay Ozga's kitties Gus and Ruby's antics are probably my faves at the moment. I'm sure you all know Ismay's illustration work, jewellery and blog, but you didn't know much about Gus and Ruby did you? That is about to change...thank you so much Ismay!

The basics: What breed are they, how old, how did you come to live with them, why did you call them Gus and Ruby ?
We weren't allowed to have pets in our old flat, and I was absolutely desperate to get a cat, so as soon as my boyfriend and I moved into our house we started looking for kitties- we found Ruby on Gumtree. She was a tiny little mischievous furball, the people who sold her to us told us she was 8 weeks old but it turns out she was more like 6, so she didn't have a lot of time with her mum or siblings. After a couple of months we thought it might be a good idea to get another kitten to help teach her how to behave, so we had a look and found this perfect little white prince! The plan worked- Gus calmed her down a bit. We don't know what breed Ruby is- when we got her we were told she was a British Short hair cross, but she really doesn't look like one, so she's just a little mystery kitty. Gus's mum was a Norwegian Forest cat crossed with a Persian which I guess is why he's such a giant! When we were trying to come up with a name for our tiny little girl we went through about a million suggestions before my friend came up with Ruby. It just seemed to suit her. Gus was named after my mum had suggested Angus to us (she's Scottish!). Ruby is 11 months old and Gus is 10 months.

How would you describe their personalities? Are they friends? 
They have such different personalities, but they are definitely best buddies! We were lucky that they were so accepting of each other- there was a bit of hissing for the first day or so (not from Ruby- she doesn't know how to hiss, or meow- she can only make little squeaky noises!) but after that we found them curled up together, and they've been firm friends ever since. Ruby is quiet and a little wary, she prefers to sit back and watch rather than getting involved, but she'll creep up and pounce on you if she's in the mood. Gus is loud and full of beans, he's very friendly and follows me everywhere like a little lamb.

What are their respective favourite foods?
They both love tuna, and they get it occasionally as a special treat. They like chicken too, and they love the milk in the bottom of my cereal bowl. Oh and Gus goes mad for Dreamies! [Ed note: the devil's food]

Do Gus and Ruby have preferred lounging locations? Any signature poses? 
Gus can often be found on his back with his paws in the air, belly up. He stretches out and lounges around without a care in the world. Ruby has a shelf with blankets on that she uses as a little house, and she also loves to do the 'long cat' on my boyfriend's legs when he has them up on the table.

What is a day in the lives of Gus and Ruby like?
Gus starts yelling as soon as he hears that we're awake, I mean he pretty much howls. So we have to go and give them a cuddle and some food, then they'll have a nap for a bit. Ruby will spend some time looking out the window and wagging her tail like a dog. They both usually join me in my study in the afternoon- Ruby finds the smallest darkest corner under the bed or behind some pillows and hides for a bit, while Gus will come and lie on my desk, usually right in my way. Then after another nap they'll have a burst of energy where they'll run around like wild things. In the evening they will cuddle up with us- Gus with me, Ruby with my boyfriend, and they'll have another sleep. Then they get a bit more food, we go up to bed and hear them running around like crazy again! Occasionally we come downstairs to find they've broken a plate/cup/vase.

Do you have any amusing/weird/cute Gus/Ruby moments or stories you'd like to share? 
Every day is amusing with Gus- he is the funniest cat I've ever met. He's a real chatterbox, if he falls asleep when I'm in the room, and then I leave the room and he wakes up and I'm gone he'll start meowing like 'hey where is everyone' and he'll just walk around meowing until he finds me. He does the same thing if he's playing with a toy and he loses it, he plays with a ping pong ball a lot and when it goes under the sofa he just yells at you until you get it out. Ruby has a habit of climbing things- she gets obsessed with high points in the room, so you'll just walk in and she'll be on top of the bookcase/wardrobe/kitchen cupboards (she can't get down). One time she was obsessing over a corner in our bedroom, so she climbed onto the chest of drawers and just flung herself up the wall at the ceiling- she landed with a big crash. I couldn't help but laugh.

Quickfire round:

Birds or mice? Neither, just because they don't go out yet. Spiders!

Sunlight or radiator? Radiator- there's not a lot of sun here at the moment

Tap or bowl? Tap! Gus is obsessed with the tap in the bath- he'll jump in the bath and stare at the tap until you turn it on, just a little bit, so he can play with the drips

Lap or laptop? Laptop, always

Snuggling or stretching? Definitely snuggling

Cats or humans? Both- Gus will be anyone's friend- cat or human, and Ruby loves Gus and my boyfriend- she's a daddy's girl!

{All photos © Ismay Ozga}