“I grew up around cats and dogs,” Lovi says. “My family has had four cats and three dogs over 24 years, but because Sylvester is the first pet I’m personally responsible for and invested in, I consider him my first cat.

“Sylvester is his original name – the same name as my paternal grandfather. I wanted to change it but my mom convinced me otherwise.

“This is such a cliché, but he really chose me. When I was looking at the adoptable cats at Furry Friends, he was one of the cats I saw. I went in knowing a few of them but Sylvester came over and started rubbing on my boot. Given that I had a broken ankle at the time, it was really funny he did that. After sitting on the floor with him for a few minutes, I put down my deposit!

“Although he adjusted to me quickly, various family members visited the house frequently, and it took him time to adjust to them.

“His favorite toys are his plushy wands. One has a milk carton toy and one is a banana which he’ll carry over to me when I’m not paying enough attention to him. Then he’ll lie next to one of them when he sleeps. Besides chasing wands, he used to chase a pink ball (I’m still looking for it because he lost it).

“While he loves being petted, he’s not a fan of cuddling. Instead of sitting on my lap to let me hold and pet him, he prefers sitting next to me and being brushed. What he particularly loves, though, are head scratches, especially around his ears. He also loves rubbing his head against anything and everything: chairs, cardboard boxes, drawers, dishes and vases.

“The only time Sylvester licks me is in the morning when I haven’t given him his wet food! He’s definitely a kitty who likes his own space but also likes being in the presence of someone.

“As for sleeping? He’ll perch himself anywhere – from underneath an unused desk to an old chest of drawers. I recently bought him a cat tree to allow him to look out the window. He’ll now sleep there as well.”

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Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA. She lives with her adopted Maltese named Mini.