Cracker
Stephen and I were on holiday in Scotland in May of 1992 when he said that he would let me have another cat. I had been following the show cat circuit for a while and had decided that if ever I could afford a pedigree cat, then that cat would be a Birman.
You cannot imagine how impossible it is to find a pedigree Birman cat when you are on holiday in the middle of nowhere and the largest nearby town doesn't even sell copies of the national cat magazines that tell you where all the breeders are.
I phoned my sister from Edinburgh Castle. From a phone box. I made her go out and by said magazine and read me the names of some of the breeders in the area, and we then followed a trail of foggy roads and flooded beaches to search out the one Birman kitten available. From Scotch Corner we crossed to Morecombe. Hunting along dark lanes to find a small bungalow hidden amongst the trees to see a household bustling with Birman kittens and Birman mothers ready to pop with more kittens. They were wonderful, fluffy, friendly and fun. But none of them were ready to leave home and there was no way that we could return so many hundreds of miles from home when they were ready.
We travelled back to Leicestershire. Disappointed but not ready to give up. A lady in the south of Leicestershire had some Birman kittens. But they were hidden away in her bedroom, sadly bedraggled and gummy eyed. And much as my heart wanted to take them all, I didn't want to take home an ill kitten.
We visited my parents that weekend, and found that a lady in Whitchurch bred Birmans. She had one kitten left as she was about to change tack and breed Burmese instead. The kitten was nearly five months old, and we didn't question too much why he was still there. He was beautiful, handsome and very friendly. He settled into my sisters house immediately and then travelled home with us.
That's how Cracker arrived. He is a very laid back, almost stupid cat. He has never learnt not to walk between your legs, bites arms and ankles when he is being ultra affectionate and to get your attention. He is handsome and knows it - poses beautifully for the camera. But is a loner and ignores the rest of the cats. I don't think he likes sharing us with the other cats, but loves a good cuddle and keeps himself to himself.