Last month Nicole at Thoughts Stained with Ink nominated anyone reading to participate in ‘The Pet Tag,’ a fun tag to get to know our pets. As I had a stomach bug last week it seemed like a fun, easy, post for this week 🙂
What are your pets’ names?
We have one pet at the Dragonspire (I’ve been reliably informed that Orik and Niniane, my dragon and Catwyrm from my stories, don’t count!): Merlin the Magical Kitten.

Why Merlin? Because I’m obsessed with Arthurian legend and I’m writing a story based on it. Kitten Merlin was supposed to motivate me to finish it. Instead he’s a massive distraction who often ends up shut out of my office, despite his meows of protest!
What kind of pet are they, and what breed?
Merlin’s a cat, a Ragdoll cross. His mother was half Ragdoll, a beautiful pure white, and her mother was a pedigree. Sometimes Merlin lets his lineage go to his head, and he trots around, fluffy tail in the air, like he owns the place.

We’re not sure what he’s crossed with: His mother got out one day and no one saw the father: I’m guessing he must’ve been ginger, otherwise who knows where Merlin’s ginger came from?
How long have you had your pet?
We picked Merlin up in April, the day after the Easter Bank Holiday. It was awesome, but in hindsight the timing was terrible. I was up to my neck in university assignments, and after we got this adorable little fluff ball the last thing I wanted to do was work on them!
How did you get your pet?
Initially we looked at rescues, but we couldn’t find anything suitable locally so we turned to Gumtree. Eventually (you wouldn’t believe how many sellers never respond to messages!) we found Merlin. We had to travel past Colchester to get him, a 4 hour round trip, but the lady we got him from was lovely and it was worth it!

How old is your pet?
30 weeks on Tuesday. He’s still very much a kitten! He climbs curtains, tears wallpaper from the walls and trips me up. Hopefully he’ll grow out of it: He’s biting less than when we got him at least!
What are some quirky things about your pet’s personality?
- He’s a ninja who gets everywhere, especially where he’s not supposed to be! I shut him in the freezer for a minute last week because he snuck in when my back was turned and feel horrible!
- He chases anything that moves, including Mario on TV when my partner plays games.
- He watches the neighbour’s cat obsessively, and when we’re playing he’s always looking over his shoulder hoping his friend is watching his cool pounces!
- He loves to chase a laser pen dot, and we lead him to treats with it. He’s getting too good at finding the treats without the dot. We need better hiding places!
- He flops in the middle of doorways, the stairs, and the floor, right in the way, and he steals my desk chair when I’m trying to write!
- He loves boxes and sits in them all. He used to fit in the tiny cat food box, but not any more!

What are some of your favourite times with your pet?
Teaching him paw and sit, when he carries his big toy mouse around in his mouth, all over the house, and how every morning when I come downstairs he’s sitting on his perch, waiting to leap onto my shoulder for cuddles and face nuzzles!
What nicknames do you call your pet?
Merl. Magical cat. Squishy. Sweetie. Dickcat (when he’s being naughty!).
What does your relationship with your pet mean to you?
He’s not been with us long, but I love him to pieces and would fight to defend him from anyone. It’s so nice having someone to talk to, and I never feel alone in the house when my partner’s at work. Plus his tail is the most gorgeous fluffy tail I’ve ever seen and I adore it!

Thanks for reading!
Do you have pets? Are they naughty? Good as gold? What’s their favourite toy? Your best memory of them? Chat in the comments, or feel free to do the tag if you want!
Next week, a short story!
Oh my gosh, what a cutie kitty!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 😀 I adore how fluffy he is!
LikeLike
Awww, yay, I love that you did this post! It was so great to hear more about Merlin and I loved all the photos of him. He’s adorable!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 😀 He loves being the centre of attention and he’s such a poser!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, Dovah is the same way. I swear she knows how cute she is and doesn’t hesitate to make sure everyone else knows it, too. 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awww I love this!
Yeah if only the dragons count lol. Merlin’s a cute kitty!!
So cool that you named him Merlin. A great name. And hehe maybe he is a wizard cat 😛 lol
Awesome that you’ve had him since April. 🙂 And wow you journeyed 4 hours to get him awwww.
Glad he is biting less. Do kittens like to bite a lot? And hope he stops tearing down wallpaper soon. lol hope he hasn’t tripped you too much.
lol Ninja Merlin. A ninja and a magician lol 🙂 And haha my sister’s cat loves boxes. Does Merlin like to jump into all boxes that you bring home?
Awww so sweet that he waits for you downstairs daily! 🙂 He’s a kind cat 🙂
LOL the last nickname. How mean hahaha =P
You are so kind too. He’s lucky to have you in his life. 🙂 You are awesome, Louise!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 😀 We do call him ‘The Magical Cat’ so I’m pretty sure if any cat were a wizard it’d be him!
Our neighbour (who saw him in the window and came to visit him) said kittens biting is totally normal. She’s the owner of the cat Merlin keeps staring at 😛
He adores every box. Whenever we receive parcels he’s straight into the boxes! Must be a cat thing!
He’s such a sweetie, most of the time ^^”
LikeLike
lol awwww 🙂 Maybe he is also as powerful as Harry Potter haha
lol why do kittens bite a lot? It’s interesting how they bite so much.
Lol I think it is a cat thing. Cats must find them awesome. (Boxes)
He’s a wonderful cat 🙂 :).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw, Squishy! I’d love to squish him. He sounds adorable. I almost closed the freezer on my toddler once, btw.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He adores cuddles, and with how fluffy he is I’m happy to oblige 🙂
Oh no! It’s so easy to do though, little animals and people are so curious, they try to get into everything!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Merlin is growing up! What a pretty cat. 🙂 A fun tag, Louise. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 😀 He is, he’s so big now! I’m not even sure how big he’ll get ^^”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! He has gotten so big!!
🙂 Magical, indeed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yup, especially his tail which seems too big for his body ^^” He’s got at least another 5 months of growing left too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the pic of him in the drawer, that’s brilliant! He’s got that same sort of fancy-ass, I-own-this-place kind of attitude my cat has most days… before you know it, they’re calling all the shots around your house! 😂I’ve never tried a laser dot with my cat. He’s not one for playing (which may be just as well as he also doesn’t seem to know how to retract his claws!) so I wonder whether he’d go for that.. will have to give it a try. Loved learning a bit more about your precious magical Merlin ♥
Caz xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 😀 He truly does get everywhere!
I wonder if the fancy-ass attitude is a cat thing? Merlin acts like a little lord surveying his kingdom most of the time, although he’s good with retracting his claws 🙂
Laser dot is awesome fun, although I think the hidden treats are what he loves most about it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
He’s pretty much the most adorable thing. Wallpaper damage notwithstanding, LOL
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 😀 Hopefully he’ll grow out of the wallpaper shredding!
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] got his own introductory post earlier in the month. He was sleeping (and snoring!) on my office windowsill as I wrote some of […]
LikeLike
FANTASTIC POST, I HAVE TWO BORDER COLLIE PUPS, BROTHERS AND I KNOW HOW QUICKLY THEYH CAN GROW, CHINA
LikeLike
Thanks 🙂 Your border collie pups sound adorable!
LikeLike
What a beauty!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks 😀
LikeLike
[…] Graduated BA History with a 2:1. Tried out teaching, as a teaching assistant. Was grateful when my contract ended! Worked 5 years as a client manager/admin/marketing person (the best, and worst, job I’ve had). Bought a house. Visited New York and Las Vegas. Did work experience in editorial at Penguin Random House in London. Started an MA in Creative Writing. Got a kitten. […]
LikeLike