The Late Flo and Harry
In August 2018, cat lovers Veronique and Jan from Achtmaal near Zundert in North Brabant, the Netherlands, started a cat Instagram with the name ‘Harry the Ninja’. At the time, they lived in Baarle Nassau, near the Belgian border with their cats Flo and Harry.
Since Harry always snuck around the house like a ninja, the name Harry the Ninja was born. Unfortunately, Flo died due to diabetes and kidney failure. As a result, only Harry was living with Veronique and Jan.
Shortly after Flo's death, Veronique and Jan moved with Harry from Baarle Nassau to a new home in Achtmaal. There, Harry experienced new adventures, especially outdoors.
Enter Miley and Zara
In Achtmaal, Harry got a new cat sister named Miley. These two cats were inseparable and were often exploring together. Their adventures came to a tragic end on 11-11 at 11
p.m. when, much to the chagrin of Veronique and Jan, Harry was hit by a car.
Veronique and Jan were inconsolable by the great loss of Harry. All the more so because Harry got along so well with Miley. Since Miley is a very sociable cat, she needed some cat companionship. Her beginnings are humble, so having a familiar cat presence in the house helped with her past trauma.
Miley initially lived with twenty other cats in deplorable conditions. She was mistreated and gave birth to three small kittens when she was less than a year old. So, exploring freely with Harry was for Miley a breath of fresh air.
Hence, to fill the void left by Harry’s death, Veronique and Jan decided to find Miley a new mate. That's how Zara came into their lives.
The Ninjasisters
Zara came from a similar background to Miley's. Zara lived with forty other cats and was already the mother of two kittens at a year old. From day one Miley and Zara were a purrfect match partly because of their similar life backgrounds. Zara and Miley were taken from the Breda Animal Shelter and initially lived with foster parents.
The name ‘the Ninjasisters’ came into being, as a way to honour Harry. For a year, Miley and Zara were the only cats in Veronique and Jan's home. With their own patio - or 'catio' - they didn't have it bad. Veronique and Jan had this catio built because they felt it was too dangerous to let the cats play outside with a busy road next to the house.
British Shorthair Cats Faye and Izzy
In November 2021, Veronique and Jan went to see some British Shorthair kittens in the village of Oene. They instantly fell in love with two kittens they could not choose between.
In the end, they adopted both kittens. They named them Faye and Izzy. These cats are now two years old and two years younger than Miley and Zara.
Four Fun Outspoken Cat Characters
Miley is the smallest cat but the biggest busybody of the four. She is shy towards new people. She is very close with Jan and she often tries to grab his attention. Miley is also a big fan of catnip kickers. She also loves to run around the house like a madman.
Zara is a real mama's girl and loves attention, lots of it. However, to get that attention, oddly enough, she rarely meows. Veronique and Jan label her meows as supersonic because you can barely hear them. You only see her mouth moving. Zara loves to play with cat feathers and balls.
Faye can be described in one word as ‘devilish.’ Although she looks super cute with her fluffy coat and she can appease you with her sweet meow, she can also kill you with her gaze and you should comply with her wishes when she starts begging for extra snacks. Despite those devilish traits, she remains a little fluffy sweet baby.
Izzy's nickname is ‘Ronkie Tonkie’. This is because she is like a little teddy bear who loves to be petted. If you get even close to her, she immediately starts purring (‘ronken’ in Dutch). She loves sleeping on the fridge. She also likes to tease her little sister Faye.
Social Dynamics
The dynamic between the four Ninjasisters is fine these days. However that wasn't always the case.
It was love at first sight for Miley and Zara. Though Zara herself, had a little harder time when the two kittens Faye and Izzy joined the family. Thanks to the help of Helen and Paws on Instagram, a cat mom with five fluff balls, things worked out for everyone.
The Ninjasisters play together, sleep together and enjoy discovering new things together. The catio is their favourite place.
Daily Cat Routines
The four Ninjasisters get up at seven to eight in the morning and get breakfast from their hoomans Veronique and Jan. Then they have their crazy hour of running and goofing around with each other. They race up and down the stairs and fly in and out the catio.
In the afternoon they sleep for a few hours as the hoomans work at their home office upstairs. When the hoomans come downstairs, Miley, Zara, Faye and Izzy prefer to cuddle with them on the couch for a while. Miley often lies down on Jan and Zara on Veronique. Faye joins Veronique on the corner of the couch and Izzy takes her place with Jan on the other corner of the couch. Each cat has its own fixed place.
At five in the afternoon, Faye is the first to complain that it takes far too long for the hoomans to make food for the cats. After dinner, the Ninjasisters go chill outside in the catio. Sometimes the sisters go bird watching from the garden room.
In summer, the cats love to sleep outside in the catio at night. During the colder seasons they prefer to sleep indoors.
Cat Tips for Other Furrballs
The Ninjasisters want to share with other cats their tip: if you complain long enough, you will eventually get what your heart desires from your hoomans.
On a more serious note, Miley, Zara, Faye and Izzy wish every cat a wonderful, warm, cozy and safe home. They emphasize that every cat deserves this.
For more tips from both the cats and the cat pawrents you can follow the Ninjasisters on Instagram at @the_ninjasisters
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