We became cat people. In an European, all the good qualities of a cat are in balance!

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I still don’t realise, how it came to this, I wondered as we drove to see the kitten Emma and its mother Helmi. Our principle had been: no pets in our family! They limit traveling possibilities, may cause allergy, worsen astma and in any case make a mess and be a bother. The two elder children of our family were already teenagers, and their hopes of getting a pet were already gone, but as our daughter reached the age when pet fever starts, pet affairs were on the table again. A dog was out of the question, since I have a dog allergy as a result my childhood family having a cockerspaniel for over ten years.

We had moved into an old farm house, the renovation of which was in motion. Mice had noticed the charm of our house even before us and therefore always managed to find their way in in autumn time when the whether was getting colder and their outdoor food supplies were running out. We usually managed to catch them with mousetraps near by a hole that we assumed to be their entrance, but a few nasty incidents accurred... Slowly the wishes of us getting a cat by our family’s two youngest members started catch fire due to the mice difficulties and the pet fever. And what’s the most fitting thing in a farm house, if it isn’t a cat!

So the cat rally started: the grapevine to use – where could one find kittens that normal sort? We visited Apula freqvently and read the information boards of grocery stores but all the cats advertised seemed to be some strange breed. Our cats should be clearly identifiable as cats and they should act as cats normally do!

At last there was an announcement in Apula: an European female kitten Emma available.We checked the pictures of Emma in Kassila’s web site, and it seemed as wonderful as any kitten. Mom, call the breeder at once! Lets go see it!

As the children were observing the pictures of Emma, their cat fever got so high that we were very soon on our way to Emma’s kittenhood home. The mother cat Helmi with is four kittens was adorable, but luckily only Emma was left to be picked, so there was no need for further considration. Because of its brisk nature, Emma felt like the bast pick anyway. We discussed with the breeder and were off to home to have a time out, the result of wich was that Emma and Helmi would with their essential cat gear arrive at our home already during the same evening. With them we got loads of good advice from the breeder and also some perplexity: how do you deal with thes furr balls? But as our family had already dealed with three babies, we thaught things would after all turn out fine. And there surely was only way in learning new things about cats:up. Keen on learning more, we have after those times read every cat related text we have got in our hands, and the amount of our cat information has progressed nicely, and cats have also turned out to be fabulous and intriguing creatures.

Slowly Emma and Helmi made themselves at home, supporting each other. By nature the mom and daughter turned out to be different: Helmi was shy, very mild and considerate, while Emma is brisk and buzzy. The cats followed each other’s doings, and if Emma is gone for a while, Helmi miaows quietly. As Emma takes a stroll outdoors harnessed Helmi follows the event carefully by the window. Emma in turn always observes what attitude her mother takes on new things, although in the end she usually ends up taking a braver one than her mother. They hustle a lot together, and in the evening it’s playtime: hide and seek, chase, sprint competitions, wrestling and accational hugging and licking.

It has been great following the cats’ progress – little Emma’s journey towards adulthood and Helmi’s gradual intergration to the family. The cats’ social activities within the family have increased a great deal. We compete fiercely against each other in order to get a turn to hold one and everyone wants to sleep their nights with a silky cat. The adjective silky is fitting as Helmi’s origin is in Silkkiturkin kissala – a breeding home the name of wich refers to a silky furr. Helmis full name is Silkkiturkin Lumia and it was a GIC already when we got it. Due to an inflammation of her uterus she had to be sterilized on a younger age than planned, but after that she has continued her exebition career being already a PR. Helmi is our very own beauty queen and a joy to watch. Just like her mother, Emma, Kassilan Etevä Emäntä by official name, is with her huge round eyes and bustling attitude a cheerful little being. Both of them have learned to enjoy outdoor life harnessed, something we are planning to do all year whenever we have the time.

And the mice? After the cats’ arrival we thought that so good mannered and sweet creatures couldn’t possibly be good hunters. Those attributes, pet and hunting abilities, in one package sounded too good a bargain to be true. But what do you know! The two sweet ladies have turned out to be also perfect hunters: extremely flexible, fast and accurate. Nothing that moves and enters our house is safe from them: not mice, flies nor bees. We are really proud, happy and thankful due to the new members of our family after our first year together, and we happily look forward to our future in a farm house, where the fireplace warms nicely and a cat purrs next to it.