The Fred Cats
The Freds in their Basket
We've always been a multiple cat family, and Christmas 2018 seemed like the right time to introduce some new cat blood. A phone call from the vet nurse - two boy kittens were available. Yes, please.
Identical twins...
Off I drove with the cat cage to pick them up. What colours would they be? I hadn't even asked. Oh my goodness! I knew they were brothers, but I wasn't expecting identical twins - two tabby kittens, exactly the same, identical brown and black stripes and swirls. On the spur of the moment I named them both Fred. Two identical kittens, one name.
So the Freds came to live at Mooseys Country Garden. They wore different coloured collars at first, so the vet (at least) could tell which Fred was which. Hello, Black Fred and Red Fred. But then Red Fred got stuck up the tallest pine tree and had to be rescued. Cats climbing in collars could get into big trouble, so the collars came off. By now I had noticed the tiniest differences - a stripe on one tail that didn't quite go round full circle, a marking on one face that was slightly more slanted.
The Fred Kittens
The Freds have identical personalities, they enjoy the same things, and eat the same food. They're both friendly, smoochy, nosy, and love coming for walks with their dog friends. In winter they love the wood-burner. In summer they love snoozing in the sun. They both love hunting (sorry, mice and rats).
Two Freds Snoozing
They 'play' (i.e. chase and wrestle) well together - not too roughly, thank you. Neither is dominant, not that I'd notice - since I'd have to inspect the top of the tail or the left eyebrow marking to see which one was making all the moves! Neither Fred is particularly aggressive or territorial, so there are few issues with the other two cats.
Tabby tag-team
Sharing a name? Not a problem. They know what their name is, after all. There's absolutely no confusion. Hello, Fred! Which Fred are you? Never mind. Hello other Fred! My lovely tabby tag-team.
The Fred Cats