Coco and Grey
When the two young Rag dolls arrive for their second visit in 6 months, they are both notably larger, although next to her brother Gray, Coco is still a small cat. Despite her small stature, Coco with her dark mask of brown fur covering her clear blue eyes steps confidently out of her basket, her beautiful tail arched over her back and sniffs her way around my home. Grey, who has the same beautiful white coat as his sister but with paler markings disappears through the cat flap that leads into a cupboard and stays there while he adjusts to the sudden change of environment. Coco makes the most of her time alone with me, rubbing around my legs and curling up on my lap for cuddles. Gray stays in the background and it is a full 24 hours before he steps out of the shadows and appears quite suddenly in front of me. His tail is pointing straight up and as soon as I give him a stroke he immediately drops to the floor purring and rolls over onto his back.
As Gray relaxes Coco becomes more distant, while Gray follows me around, meowing plaintively for attention, Coco sits upright on the window ledge staring down at the world below. At night they take it in turns to chase each other around the flat with Coco, the smaller of the two often diving under the bed covers with me for protection. During the day they can either be found lying curled up opposite each other, a heart shaped ball of fur, or bird watching out of the bedroom window.
Both cats love attention. Gray with his gentle but insistent miaow, that will only stop when he is picked up and Coco who will wait until Gray is asleep then wander up and down beside me, her eyes fixed on yours until you have no choice but to collect her in your arms and give her a cuddle. In the mornings I am woken up by a gentle breeze as Gray’s fur brushes past me and he settles down besides me, rolling onto his back and stretching his long body across the bed.
When my friend Lizzie pops in to say hello Coco and Gray operate as a team, appearing simultaneously and surrounding her. Coco stares beguilingly into Lizzie’s eyes while Gray sits up on his hind legs and sifts his way through her handbag. When he’s finished his bag inspection, Gray begins to sniff her boots while Coco gently interrogates a finger that Lizzie points gently in her direction.