I found Benny and his brother, Buster, when they were three months old. I was besotted with them both, but it was Benny, with his quirky ways and loving nature, who really stole my heart
I
suppose you could say I got Benny from the shops. In 2006, he and his brother ambushed me outside a supermarket in Bahrain. They were trying to climb into the bags of shopping I was carrying to get at the food they could smell. Immediately smitten, I took them in.
It was the start of a 16-year relationship that saw Benny and Buster accompany me to Kenya, Qatar, back to Bahrain, then finally to Manchester. I used to say they had seen more countries than most people. I was an advertising creative director and followed the work where I could get it. It was an interesting but lonely life and my new pals, who were about three months old, immediately made a difference. I was besotted with them, but it was Benny, with his endearing quirks, who really stole my heart.
Unlike most cats, he was attracted to water and loved paddling in the bath. He used to jump in when it was filling up and wade around, occasionally sticking his head under the tap. At other times, he would sit patiently on the back edge of the tub until I was done and then slide in. He was one of the most loving cats I’ve ever had. Whenever I lay on the couch, he would jump up and nestle in the crook of my arm.
