Pets of the Month: Meet Cookie & Cricket!

Human Companion: Coby Thurmeier, Learning & Engagement Strategist, Student Records & Systems Management
Name of Pet: Cookie & Cricket
Type/Breed: Tabby & big black cat
Age: 3 & 2 (adopted from VOKRA in November 2016)

Favourite Pastimes

Cookie is very cuddly, but she is also a ball of energy. She loves to chase, leap at, and smack bouncy balls all around my apartment. It’s a good thing I live on the main floor because if I had downstairs neighbours, I’m sure I would have a noise complaint by now. Cookie has started to play fetch, but typical of a cat, she only brings the ball part way back to me and only when she feels like it. Cookie also loves watching bird videos on TV, and waking me up at 2 am by marching past my head and ‘accidentally’ trampling on my face.

Cricket is a very shy girl. Since November she has started to come out of her shell, but she still runs away if I approach her. The only time I can pet her is when she is in her favourite chair, tucked up under my dining table, or when she’s laying on my bed half asleep. When she’s not snoozing, Cricket loves looking out the window at birds, or peering around corners with her wide yellow eyes watching Cookie play (from a safe distance).

Favourite thing about Cookie & Cricket

Cookie: Her big personality. She’s a sweet and cuddly little cat, but she’s also quite feisty and sure of herself.

Cricket: Her gentle nature. Cricket is very slow to warm up, but when she feels safe and comfortable she can’t get enough pets, and she lets you know she’s happy with her loud purring and trills.

Interesting Facts

I adopted Cookie and Cricket through VOKRA, an organization that takes in cats and kittens and finds them good homes. While they are awaiting adoption, the cats live with volunteer ‘foster parents’.

How they came to be at VOKRA

Cookie was rescued from a house that had dozens of cats living in it. She was pregnant when she was rescued and she gave birth to her litter while in foster care.

Cricket was living on the street and had just given birth to a litter of kittens when she was rescued. She was in foster care for a while, then she was adopted out to a family who already had one cat in the household. Unfortunately their original cat ended up bullying Cricket quite badly, so they had to return her to VOKRA.

Cricket went back to live with her original foster parent, who was now fostering Cookie. Luckily, Cricket and Cookie hit it off and became buddies. They lived with the foster together for about 8 months before I adopted them.