‘Look, but don’t touch’ was the impression Lina got when she came across an orange domestic shorthair stray cat in 2013. It has been said that cats generally take a while to warm up to humans but Mimi was indeed a very timid cat and, being a stray, was very wary of people.
“I fed her for six months before I could even touch her for the first time,” says Lina. “Then, she got pregnant and I cared for her and her kittens before I got the little ones a new home.”
Once the kittens were successfully rehomed, Lina immediately worked on getting Mimi to the vet so she could be spayed and released so she could continue living her life, but the universe had other plans for the two.
“She caught a flu and did not recover even after two weeks of medication,” recalls Lina sadly. “I remember carrying her and cried, thinking I would lose her because she could hardly eat due to her losing her sense of smell.”
Fortunately, another trip to the vet fixed the poor sickly cat right up and by then, Lina’s heart was set on keeping Mimi.
“As she was recovering, I already found it too difficult to let her go. That was when I officially adopted her, or vice versa, really,” says Lina with a smile.
Since then, life has never been lonely according to Lina.
“Mimi would wake up earlier than I usually would and ask for food in the mornings. If I don’t wake up, she would begin to rub her head against mine, or paw at my mouth to wake me up.”
Lina adds, “If I still don’t wake up, that’s when she begins to show some ‘cattitude’ and smacks things off my dressing table!”
Of course, Lina would always admit defeat and give in. But wouldn’t you do the same for your best friend?
The duo spends a lot of time hanging out together and according to Lina, Mimi even enjoys car rides! When they’re outside, Lina would put a harness on her Mimi and she would walk around at pet cafes or pet fairs comfortably, given her curious, independent and steady personality.
“I just feel proud when people ask me how I train her to walk with a harness, because she didn’t need any training! She’s just adventurous!”
Things picked up even further for the inseparable friends, as Lina once took Mimi for a pet photography session for her own collection, and one of Mimi’s photos was proudly used by the vendor for their buntings at a pet fair.
Clearly, Mimi has what it takes to a top model, and she definitely flaunts it!
Modelling career aside, Mimi is in fact, still a down-to-earth feline that would bug Lina when she has tight deadlines for projects for some attention.
For Lina, however, this works as an antidote for all the stress she has to deal with during the working day and says that Mimi is a “sweet companion and a stress reliever”.
“There was one time I was down with a fever and had just taken some medicines that made me drowsy. As I lay resting, I remember her walking into my room to check on me with her very gentle and caring ‘meow’,” recalls Lina.
Looking back on her memories and adventures with Mimi so far, Lina admits that her parents were not too happy with the idea of keeping Mimi at first.
But of course, just as Mimi had stolen Lina’s heart, she did the same with her parents.
Mimi also proved to be a source of inspiration for Lina, as she is the reason why the latter now engages with rescue activities whenever she can.
“I contribute and donate to spaying and neutering programmes, foster sick cats, put up stray cats for adoption and more,” says Lina.
Above everything else, Lina just wants to share Mimi’s love to her own kind and would love nothing more than to have many more years with her furry friend.
“We are each other’s support, and so I hope Mimi stays healthy and happy always.”
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.