24/01/2025
All but two of our cats are Turkish Angoras, and I thought I would dedicate this post to the two that don't have a breed.
Marley and Salem are domestic shorthairs that have lived with us longer than any of my current Turkish Angoras. Marley is the one that has a sad backstory. He used to live with a family in a mobile home park, and they decided to move. They didn't want to take their cats with them, so they put both of them outside when they left, making Marley and his sibling strays. Neither one of them had been outdoor cats before, and they were at a loss how to fend for themselves. Lucky for them, my brother lived next door, and he has a very kind heart. He fed both of them until Marley became comfortable enough to enter his home. Once inside, he became attached to my brother, but my brother wasn't interested in having another cat; they already had four. So my brother called our parents and talked to them about taking Marley (my brother called him Garfield at the time).
Knowing that I would be visiting my parents soon, my brother brought Marley to my home so that I could transport him to my parents' house. At that time, I had Aiko, my first Turkish Angora. She had been an only cat for so long that she would not accept other cats in our home, though we did try to introduce one from time to time. I did not expect things to go well with Marley, so we were going to keep them separated until we left for my parents' house. To our surprise, Aiko and Marley got along very well, and because of that, we decided to keep him. We named him Marley because of his laid-back and easy-going nature.
It's been almost 9 years since Marley first came to live with us. He spends the majority of his time in my son's bedroom, as he has chosen my son as his person. He never has to worry about going outside or being abandoned again.
Salem doesn't have a sad backstory, but the reason I got her is sad. My beloved Turkish Angora, Aiko, passed away that year. I grieved for her for 2 years, and despite that grief, I knew I could not be without my own cat. About a month after the loss, I found someone who had a litter of kittens, and I was able to choose one of the black females. Salem is timid but affectionate and cuddly. Her name was supposed to be a placeholder until I could figure out what I wanted to call her. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to fit. As time went on, I realized her name had kind of stuck, and she's been Salem for almost 7 years now.
They're not featured much on this page since they aren't Turkish Angoras, but they are loved just as much as the Turks are.
