Fortunately, last year was not all bad. While we lost some family members, we also gained some new ones. … In celebration of some landmark anniversaries last year, my humans got me a little brother. After all, I too was a birthday present. In fact, my human often says that I was such a good birthday present that she would be okay with not getting a birthday present ever again. But still, in honour of us being together for five years (among some other things), we decided to offer our home to yet another little soul, who will probably be the last furry member of our “nuclear” family.

Welcome to the family, Goliat!

Goliat spent most of the first months of his life at the Life4Cats cat shelter in Transylvania, as our friends there generously offered to take him in after he was abandoned as a puppy. We in fact followed his story from the very beginning (were thus also aware of his challenges with rickets) and fell in love with his sweet temperament early on. But getting a brother was pretty much out of the question due to my social limitations. When the humans finally got serious about adopting a (girl) dog, our friends – worried about his prospects of finding a good home – asked us to consider taking him instead. So my humans said yes.

Not without anxiety though. My humans were worried about how I will react. When he finally arrived after a long journey from Transylvania to Budapest, I did not even get to greet him on his first day here, as my humans wanted to give him a day before he has to put up with me. But as it  turns out, there were other things that they should have been more worried about. Goliat was not yet familiar with the ways of the leash, was terrified of vehicles and got puzzled by pretty much everything in his new urban setting. He would barely walk! I will never forget how clumsy he seemed when I finally got to see him from the other side of the road on his second day in Budapest.

But Goliat immediately saw a knight in shining armour in me! The second he noticed me from the distance, his ears perked up, eyes rounded in admiration and started to walk at a more normal pace. He left me with no choice. I had to immediately take him under my protective paws and have kept him there ever since. Nobody messes with my little brother! … After our first walk together, we came up to our apartment, gave him some time to sniff things around and then started to teach him everything.

The felines took much longer to warm up to the new member of the family. Goliat was a bit too overzealous to befriend them. He kept waving his paws at them, to reassure them that he only means play, but our “brave” tiger and panther would just freak out. They were not used with so much attention from me, as I would generally just ignore them. But things got better over time. I am still the reference point to them, but they accepted Goliat as well.

Last year has been a difficult one. Several of our family members got affected by illnesses and we lost some of them. …. Ironically, it was not the coronavirus. It was other diseases that conspired against us. … Our losses include my lovely cousin MiuMiu, who departed from us very unexpectedly.

I only met her about a year and a half ago, but grew up hearing stories about her. By the time we met, we were both set in our ways and our humans did not force us to socialize much.

But we would always say hello to each other with a meaningful gaze when I visited. She would usually look at me with her beautiful eyes and a curious expression through the balcony door or from the top of the shelves. And I would look at her nervously before, during and after diving into her food-plate to lick it shiny clean.

I now wish I cared less about my belly and tried harder to befriend her. … I will get that chance when I eventually join her, Atena and grandpa on the other side of the rainbow bridge.

i became much more social with other dogs recently. moving to Budapest helped tremendously in this regard.

there are tons of dog parks in the city where i can run around off the leash and have some playtime with other dogs. we are still a bit selective regarding the dogs i play with. we generally avoid large intimidating male dogs. we then test the waters and if the dogs seem too dominant, we only stay for a few minutes. but most of the times, i have a wonderful time playing with other dogs. just look at me prancing around like a social butterfly with this young lady:

most dogs who live in the city – and there are a lot of them – really understand boundaries. they often walk around without the leash in the city and they still don’t run up to me every time our paths cross. i really appreciate that, as other dogs jumping in my face always bothered me. as it turns out, most of the dogs here went to school where they learn some basic etiquette.

inspired by the good behaviour of other dogs and the progress i made, i started going to doggy school myself. during the first occasions, i was still a bit agitated due to the large number of my canine colleagues – small and large, calm and excited.

but after a few classes, i am already cool as a cucumber and ace all exercises. i would do anything for a piece of sausage, even if it is the vegan type. and my humans get so proud of me. they give me tons of belly rubs at home.the only thing i am missing here are some dipping pools  …

in the spring of 2020, my aunty adopted a kitten from the small cat shelter called life4cats rescue from Transylvania. we managed to bring him to Budapest just as travel restrictions were being imposed at the border.

little Henri had a rough start in life in Transylvania and he also had to have a leg surgery upon arrival to Budapest, but he did not let those unpleasant things get to him. he is definitely the sparkiest and bravest little kitten i have ever met.

it took us a while to get used to him, but he is part of the family now.

once we settled in, new adventures started. i visited the famous Gerbeaud-house and had a close encounter with a slice of authentic Zserbó. i evern learned some hungarian commands: “gyere”, “lábhoz”, “fúj”.

and then winter came. real winter. got to experience snow for the first time.

let’s not forget about the beautiful House of Parliament that we are fortunate enough to be able to admire on a daily basis.

 

in the fall of 2019, we moved to Budapest. the journey was difficult for everyone.

the cats threw a tantrum as they were supposed to enter their carriers. they must have sensed the stress of my humans, who worried about potentially having to take them out at we pass security. fortunately, it did not come to that. to preserve their dignities, no photos will be shared of their trip.

i initially handled it well, could feel that the humans were nervous, but i know nothing bad can happen to us as long as we stay together.

but then, as our taxi arrived, they asked me to get into my carrier and i realized that this is not going to be a normal trip. so i got very nervous as well. with good reason, as it turned out. while the cats were able to travel on board, i had to fly in the belly of this giant iron bird. all by myself. i whimpered inconsolably. the whole way.

things took a brighter turn upon arrival: my lovely aunty was waiting for us at the airport. the felines bounced back immediately in her home. but for me, it took longer. i became worried .. once again .. about being left behind.

but things got back to normal for me as well slowly. i had my little brothers to rely on.

 

 

 

so many things happened since the last time I wrote. in the early summer of 2019, i ended up with a second feline brother.

long story short: three little kittens fell behind a wall at the restaurant where Hugo was found and we accepted to help them.  we found good families for the two tabby kittens, but nobody was really interested in the black one. so he stayed with us.

his name now is Miró and he is absolutely lovely.

we all love him.

…. Kitty sleeping on the desk …

My turn now ….

Hugo has taken over ALL my favorite places. I sometimes just lay there peacefully, until he insists to come next to me, and eventually takes over. Being adored sucks.

 

My favorite fluffy pillow.

My backup fluffy pillow. And even the sofa. MY sofa!!

… He is kind of cute though. … Feline has a flair for the dramatic. 😉

I have a stalker now. And what is worse, he is like a mixture of Edward of Scissorhand and Freddy Krueger. He is SO annoying! He is ALWAYS right up my butt and I never know when he will want to have its way with my tail. Life is stressful. Me and Elon Musk are in the same boat.