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‘Not a cat person,’ he said…../ The search for Fat Edna…

Picture the scene… You have two very demanding young children, run a small business and struggle to keep on top of housework, attempting a social life and not losing your mind most days. So what’s the obvious next step – adding another living creature to your never ending ‘to do’ list!

Yes we may be mad, but after telling our boys ‘no’ for what seems like years as we attempted to juggle numerous plates and keep on top of life admin, we recently decided to take the pet plunge and get a feline friend. As a child I remember being desperate for a cat so after a while I started to feel a bit mean in the face of our children’s constant pleas. My husband wanted get a dog – having always thought of himself as a ‘dog person’ – but when we thought about it long and hard we realised we just couldn’t handle one. How would we find the time to walk it for one? I don’t do rain, or cold, so in the winter it would definitely be an issue for me. After much consideration we decided to get a kitten.

Fat Edna - Miss Shelly Designs kitten

After telling the kids - who were of course over the moon! - we started to discuss names. My boys came up with the usual ‘Fluffy’, ‘Cutie’ options, as well as numerous superhero names. Then suddenly out of the blue my youngest Ben shouted: “Fat Edna, let’s call her Fat Edna”. Now, bear in mind we hadn’t even chosen or seen a kitten at this point, but the name was so random and hilarious that it stuck! And so, the search for Fat Edna began…

I insisted on a girl kitten as I’m constantly surround by boys, and it had to be grey (to match my house). I did a lot of research and found the perfect grey ball of fur. We all went to view her, only to fall in love with a tiny cream and brown tabby cat instead! When we first brought her home we wondered what the hell we had done. We didn’t have a clue what we were doing and she seemed terrified of us. We were riddled with anxiety, especially my husband as it reminded him of those first baby days when you have absolutely no idea what’s going on, but you’re suddenly responsible for keeping something alive! 

My husband didn’t sleep for the first few nights of Fat Edna’s residency. He kept all the lights on for her – even though I told him countless times that cats can see in the dark, worried if she was eating enough and whether she was happy. Thankfully within a few days though we both realised just how easy cats are and just like that Fat Edna has slotted perfectly into our lives. We’re all in love with her, especially Kev, who has filled up his phone with photos of her and now sends me texts throughout the day checking up on her and the boys.

Fat Enda British shorthair X Scottish Fold KittenFat Edna Causing havoc in my workroom

It’s been a bit of a learning curve taking care of her, finding the right food and teaching her to use the litter tray. And I have turned into a crazy cat lady already. I have started a #FatEdna hashtag and insta account and I have expanded my range of cat decorations so I’m making a few new colours this year. I keep getting asked to make more colours but I kept saying no but now I realise how important it is for us cat lovers!

Working from home with Fat Edna has proved rather difficult at times. At night she likes to sleep on my lap but it can be quite awkward when I’m using my laptop (she chases my fingers) or if I’m sewing she wants the threads. And don’t even get me started on taking product photographs! But I love having the company. Working from home can be pretty lonely but now I have a little buddy! At night my husband is more than willing to have her on his lap instead and he loves working from home as she’ll sleep on his lap all day. He has adjusted very well considering he told me he ‘wasn’t a cat person’ and you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve got him down to only having one light on at night for her. Hey, it’s progress!

Photoshoot with my kittenFat Edna playing with Christmas decorations

Follow #FatEdna on instagram @Fat_Edna

3 comments

  • Love Fat Edna! ❤️

    David
  • Ahh she’s going to add so much fun to an already great family xx

    Jane
  • She is just gorgeous. You paint a very amusing picture and we can’t wait to meet her x

    Anne

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