Meet the Twins: Effie & Lovey

For those involved with the CH Kitty Club Yahoo Group, you most likely are familiar with Melissa and her two darling girls, Effie and Lovey (a.k.a. Lavinia), who are also called “The Twins.”

These two-year-old little ladies both have moderate CH, although Melissa says Lovey’s a worse than Effie’s. Learn more:

Do they have certain limitations?

Yes, neither can climb too well, though Effie is better at climbing than Lovey. Lovey has improved, though, with practice.

How do they manage the litter box?

They are actually wonderful with the litter box! In fact, I have far more problems from my partially blind kitty, Fifi.

Eating and drinking?

They use what I like to call the bob and peck method of eating. They do prefer soft food, but they only get it once or twice a day. Both of them prefer the turkey flavored soft food and the seafood flavored hard food.

Do you do anything special to help?

I do lift them up and put them on my kitchen table to eat, though this is more so they can eat without the dogs bothering them.

Lovey

What’s one funny story about them (related to CH)? Or share a story about how they figured out how to do something CH cats “can’t” do.

For Effie, this is her method of jumping: She has managed to perfect what I call her kangaroo jump. She jumps straight up and out, no reaching for the shelf or anything. She actually has gotten really good at this, though sometimes she overshoots and lands on the opposite side of what she is trying to jump on.

For Lovey, it would have to be the first time she managed to get up onto the sofa. She would usually approach me and meow for me to lift her up, but this time, a part of my blanket was hanging down. She managed to grab a hold of it and I helped pull her up. She kind of looked at me with a smug look like: “See what I just did, Mom!” And ever since then, she has been able to climb up there on her own, even without the blanket.

Have they ever hurt themselves because of their CH?

No, neither of them have, though they have scared me a few times jumping off the table. They somehow have managed their own way of landing so they don’t get hurt. I do have gym mats down under the cat furniture in the living room, so that does help.

Each animal is special in her own way. How are they special?

Lovey, whose real name is Lavinia, is actually my big love-bug. She loves to crawl up onto the sofa and snuggle with me. She bonded with me fairly quickly and has always been really loving with me.

Effie, on the other hand, bonded immediately with Fifi (my partially blind kitty) and they hang out together and play together a lot. It was not until Effie had been with me for a year, before she started cuddling with me. In the past few weeks, though, she has discovered that my bed is her favorite place. Now, she joins me in bed at night and she demands petting and play time. Then, once my alarm goes off in the morning, she demands more, usually by attacking whatever hand of mine is closest to her.

Effie

Have you found ways to help them? How?

Sometimes I will help steady them while eating, though this is usually Lovey more than Effie. Effie is stubbornly independent. I also will sometimes feed Lovey on the sofa, where she can stabilize herself by leaning against the back of the sofa to eat (it is a leather sofa). I also have the gym mats under their cat furniture in the living room and have large kitty litter pans with low front openings, making it easier for them to get in and out of.

Do you have any words of wisdom for other CH parents?

I think the biggest thing to know about them is that they are usually very, very loving and happy cats!

What do you think people need to know about CH?

That they are not suffering! In fact, I think my CH cats tend to be the happiest cats I have ever owned.

Melissa & Lovey

What is your favorite and least favorite thing about them having CH?

My favorite thing is how wonderfully sweet and funny they are. My least favorite thing is that I don’t have the money to accommodate their disabilities any further. If I ever have the money to build my dream home, I will build it specifically with my CH cats in mind and they will have plenty of special climbing and lounging areas, that are also protected from falls.

Anything else you’d like to add?

One last funny story: When I have guests over, I almost always remember to warn them about my CH cats beforehand. One time, though, I forgot. I was sitting at the table talking with this person when Effie went tumbling across the room to get some water. The person suddenly interrupted our conversation and said, “I’m sorry, but I have to ask this. What in the heck is wrong with your cat?” So now I make sure and explain CH to everyone before they enter my house.

Click here to read about other readers’ CH pets  or tell us about your CH pet!