Tailster

My friend's cat is usually very shy and won't willingly get close to people he doesn't know. She was very surprised when he let me give him treats, pet him, and even rub his belly.

Another photo of me handling my tortoiseshell cats. Here they were very young, only seven and a half weeks old. They've grown into two beautiful adult cats now, and still receive as much love as they did then.

This is a photo of me and my dilute tortoiseshell, Tabatha. She's the smaller of the two, but she gives good cuddles all the same. Like my other cats, I free-feed her dry food, and give her wet food when she seems a bit groggy - it perks her right up. Did you know that, while dilute colouring is common across many breeds of cats such as Maine Coones or tabby-patterned felines, dilute colouring in tortoiseshells is much less common?

My dog, Red, is as sweet as they come. Staffies get such a bad reputation, and it's unfair because most of them are the most loving, attention-craving babies that any person could get. She regularly snuggles up to me on the sofa, both behind and on me or my parents.

Another photo of our cuddle-monster staffy. Did you know that long before they were known as a fighting breed, staffies were widely known as nanny dogs because they're so protective and good around children?

This photo is of me and my cousin's dog. She's a very friendly pup and quite obviously enjoyed the cuddles captured in this photo.

This was taken on my first day of volunteering. As soon as I saw the tank, I eagerly asked if I could hold her. She was a beautiful corn snake and had the calmest temperament I have ever seen in a snake. I grew up with two monty python snakes and while one of them shared the calm demeanor, the other one was quite mean. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of them as I was quite little.

While I love domesticated animals, wild ones have a special place in my heart. I enjoy interacting with them and watching them in their natural space. This was one of the many times I've had squirrels come close to me, though it's the only time I've had someone there to capture the moment.

This is one of my two tortoiseshells, Hoggle. She was such a tiny kitten but now she's the largest of both of them! She certainly has the infamous tortietude.

I volunteered for almost a year at a local small pet shelter, where I learned to handle even the most nervous rabbits, as well as how to effectively clean out their enclosures. This one stole my heart the second I saw him because he had the same colouring as my cat.

Another rabbit that shares a special place in my heart. He loved cuddling into my neck and gave it a few kisses while he was there! The only thing he was ever angry about was when I stopped giving him attention, even for a second.

As I mentioned in my profile description, I own 3 cats. This photo was taken not long after I adopted these two beautiful torties. The darker one is Hoggle, and the lighter one is her sister, Tabatha, who is an uncommon dilute tortoiseshell. I hope to work with neonatal kittens and TNR programs in the future. I'll be participating in a feline care course in the new year to help with this experience.

My fluffy senior cat, Ludo. She had just recently been to the vets as we didn't know what was wrong, but now that we do, she's living her best life! I think she was in need of some emotional support here. She's now very healthy and a normal, grumpy old girl.

This photo was another that was taken at my volunteering placement. This gorgeous black bunny was one of the many babies from the litter. I was quite fond of him.