Our No.1 is “SAM” who lost his battle with ill health late last year
Robyn’s first love Sam, was her constant companion for12 years.
Robyn saw him as a kitten in the pet shop at Carindale, and for a couple of weeks stopped to look in the window to see if he was still there. Just before Christmas 1999, not wanting to leave him there over Christmas, she paid for him and took him home.
One morning when Sam was five months old, just before she was heading out the door to work, she heard a scream and rushed downstairs to Sam’s cat enclosure to find a carpet snake had completely wrapped itself around Sam, and was attempting to squeeze the life out of him. She grappled with the carpet snake, still wrapped around little Sam, until it finally let go, having bitten her several times on the arms (unbeknowns to her in the stress, physical and emotional, of trying to extricate Sam!). Both Sam and she required veterinary/medical treatment!!!
Over the years Sam developed ulcerated eyes and had several eye operations in an attempt to resolve the problem. He also developed asthma, and Robyn bought a special cat inhaler to give Sam his daily dose of asthma preventer, Flixotide (see attached photo).
As a 10 year old Sam developed diabetes as a result of having to have cortisone injections when his asthma was particularly bad, so Robyn would give Sam an insulin injection twice a day (as well as his asthma puffer – he was very patient!). Unfortunately in late November last year he succumbed to diabetes severely for a third time and the heartbreaking decision was made, with the aid of our wonderful vet specialist at Carrara Vet Specialist Centre, to have him euthanased.
RIP our darling Sam!
Our No.2 is “BOB” an 11 year old white Chinchilla and now our oldest
Bob was actually a stray kitten who came to us at approximately four months of age from the Creek Road Cat Clinic. He looked rather scruffy as he’d obviously “escaped” from someone and had been living under cars. The vet nurses had attempted to clean him up but he still had black greasy patches on his face. He had been living on scraps and was infested with intestinal worms, which the clinic had treated. We initially resisted taking another cat, having just lost Keesha, our 16 year old Persian, but succumbed in the end and took him, naming him after Robyn’s father (his grandad!). He has turned out to be a beautiful white Chinchilla with a very bossy nature. He and Sam were great mates and spend most nights in their cat enclosures, it took Bob a while to figure out that old Sam was gone. He now has Tiger to keep him company and “drive him nuts” on occasion! 
Kate is actually eight years old and came from the Cat Clinic at Paddington when she was a kitten. Her mother, Sparkle, had been handed in when she was pregnant and Kate was one of her kittens. As a tiny kitten Kate used to run around with the big cats and growl like a dog. The first time we heard it and figured out it was coming from this tiny black kitten it was quite a shock. She also liked to uproot pot plantsfrom their cat run, particularly when the soil was wet, and drag them in on the carpet! Fortunately she’s grown out of that now and sticks to carting her pet mice around, yowling loudly even though she has a mouthful! Kate is a lady’s cat, and although she often keeps to herself, if any ladies come to visit she is there like a shot, demanding attention. Kate loves her food and is no longer tiny, as can be seen from the photo!
Tom is seven years old and came to us as a stray kitten from the Albany Creek Vet Clinic. We used to take our two Chinchillas, Sam and Bob, for their yearly ‘flu injections at around Christmas time, and there were always kittens looking hopefully at us in the vet clinics – hence Kate and Tom! Tom was a tiny little fellow when we took him home but is now a 7kg whopper! He has the ginger cat’s lovely temperament, but doesn’t take any nonsense from young Tiger. Having said that, fortunately for us, they all get on well together. Tom is very easygoing, enjoys his food, and likes to sleep. He likes a daily brush if he can get into the ensuite when Robyn is about to take her morning shower. There’s usually a line-up as they all like to be brushed (except for Sam, who was very placid until you produced a brush, when he turned into a veritable tiger!!!) Tom likes to spend a lot of his time sleeping in the cat enclosure, usually in the full sun!. From there he (and the others!) get a close-up view of the lorikeets when we feed them every afternoon, so the cat enclosure is a pretty popular spot! It’s a pretty good life all round!!!
And lastly, Tiger, who is actually now 11 months old and very beautiful. Even though we had moved to Brisbane we went back to the AWL at Coombabah to get Tiger, having seen him on their internet listing. He was named Flynn at that time but Tiger seemed more appropriate. He was a tiny little thing, 900 grams, at 3 months old, but has really grown. He’s now about 6kgs and has all the appearance of one of the “Forest” cats (Siberian, Norwegian Forest, Maine Coon). I don’t think anyone realised how he was going to turn out (we certainly didn’t) and he’s much admired by all who come to the house – particularly local cat lovers who are able to come and collect their enclosure kits! Tiger has a wonderful nature. He’s very inquisitive and quite dog-like in that he picks up things and runs off with them – one of my pairs of specs, which I’ve never managed to find, as well. Fortunately he likes being brushed as he has lovely long silky fur, and we haven’t yet decided whether to get him clipped, as we do with Bob, in summer. He gives old Bob a bit of a hard time, rolling around the floor with him, but Tom takes no nonsense from him if he’s not in the mood, but certainly isn’t unkind to him. Tiger has been a great joy to Robyn (we both enjoy him immensely!) as she was devastated when she lost her much loved Sam. He’s the last kitten we’re likely to have and he’s a real joy and a ton of fun!