MIMI

Mimi is a confident, affectionate and wonderfully communicative cat who knows exactly what she likes.

After spending much of her life as a much-loved garden cat in Dubai, she has made the transition to indoor life remarkably well. She enjoys being close to her people, likes plenty of company and is never shy about letting you know when she would like your attention.

She is also a cat with clear boundaries. Mimi likes affection on her terms and will tell you when she has had enough. For someone who understands feline body language and is happy to let their cat set the pace, she is an enormously rewarding companion.

Her Personality

Mimi is a real character.

She is chatty, curious and very people-oriented. She will come looking for you when she wants company, happily hold a conversation and has been known to give a gentle tap with her paw if she feels she is being overlooked.

She enjoys affection and will sometimes settle on a lap, but she is not a cat who wants to be fussed over endlessly. When she has had enough, she makes that clear. Occasionally this can include a light nip, particularly if her earlier signals have been missed.

This is not unpredictable behaviour or aggression. Mimi communicates very clearly and does best with people who notice those signals, respect her boundaries and allow her to choose when interaction begins and ends.

She is currently very comfortable around women. She can be more cautious around men and may initially hide or keep her distance while she works out whether she feels safe. She needs patience rather than pressure and should be allowed to build trust in her own time.

More than anything, Mimi enjoys having people nearby. She may not always want to sit on you, but she likes knowing that you are there and will often sleep close by.

The Things She Loves

Mimi loves a good vantage point. A sunny window where she can watch the world go by would make her very happy and she is surprisingly enthusiastic about television, including programmes made for cats.

She enjoys batting small balls around the room and is particularly fond of an L-shaped cardboard scratcher.

Interactive toys are a good choice for play as Mimi can become enthusiastic once she gets going.

She is also very attached to her routine, particularly when food is involved. Move her bowl from its usual place and she is quite capable of sitting pointedly at the old location until somebody corrects the mistake.

Mimi knows how she likes things.

Her Ideal Home

Mimi would be happiest in a calm, attentive home with someone who spends a good amount of time there.

She thrives on companionship but does not need constant physical attention. What matters most is having people around who understand cats, respect boundaries and are happy for the relationship to develop at Mimi’s pace.

Children: Best suited to a home with children aged 12+ who understand and respect animal boundaries.

Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor home only. A fully secured catio would be a lovely bonus.

Other cats: Mimi has not lived with another cat in her current foster home. She previously lived around a small group of outdoor cats and does not appear concerned by cat scents carried into the home. A calm, cat-friendly companion may be possible with careful and gradual introductions.

Dogs: Unknown. Mimi has not been tested with dogs.

People: Very comfortable with women. She may need additional time and patience to build trust with men.

Routine: Important to her. Changes, particularly around feeding, should be introduced gradually.

Health & Care

Mimi is spayed and in good general health with no known medical issues.

She has tested negative for both FIV and FeLV and is not currently receiving any medication or specialist treatment.

She has a good appetite and currently eats dry food morning and evening with wet food each day.

Mimi uses her litter tray reliably and currently lives completely indoors.

Her Rescue Story

For several years, Mimi lived outside a villa in Dubai.

Although she technically belonged to nobody, a family living there cared for her every day. She became part of their routine, spending time with them in the garden, sitting beside them and gradually making it very clear that she considered them her people.

The family already had four cats of their own and could not bring Mimi permanently into the household. When they eventually had to leave the villa, arrangements were made for someone to continue feeding her so she could remain in the territory she knew. Mimi had other ideas.

After they left, she stopped eating properly and became withdrawn. She had not simply been attached to the garden. She had been attached to the people.

Recognising that Mimi needed more than somebody arriving to leave food each day, the family made the decision to find her a proper home.

She moved into foster care and, for the first time in her life, became an indoor cat. Over the months since, Mimi has continued to settle, build confidence and show us more of the cat she really is.

What has become very clear is that she does not simply want somewhere to live. She wants people of her own.

For the right person, someone patient, attentive and willing to listen when Mimi tells them what she needs, she has a huge amount of affection and companionship to give. Entirely on her own terms, of course.