Most cats aren’t fond of water, but there are some who just can’t get enough of it.
Rescue cats Nathan and Winnie live in Australia, and they love adventuring into the balmy water with their mum and dad, Melissa and Rian.
Melissa and Rian adopted Nathan from their local RSPCA in 2017. The kitten, who was no more than five weeks old, had been found abandoned in a box on the side of a highway with her mother and two siblings.
“We both fell in love with her instantly,” said Melissa. “We had to wait another five weeks until we could take her home because she was so small. “
Melissa explains that yes, Nathan is a female. She and Rian had chosen the name Nathan (after a character in a popular TV miniseries) as a joke before they got the kitten, but once they brought her home, they liked the name and it stuck.
“It still makes us laugh sometimes and we can’t imagine her being named anything else,” said Melissa.
When they adopted Nathan, Melissa and Rian lived near a stunning beach on the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef, and they thought visits to the beach would be a good way to get Nathan used to being outside with them.
“We were really keen to have Nathan experience adventures with us and be able to come traveling rather than staying locked up inside the house,” said Melissa.
They decided to train Nathan to walk on a leash, but it was quickly apparent that the leash wasn’t needed.
“She follows us, comes when she’s called and in general (is) a very obedient little kitty,” said Melissa.
The Little Water Cat
Nathan would happily follow Rian and Melissa as they walked on the beach.
One day Rian decided to have a quick dip in the water.
“As he was walking out, Nathan stayed by his side, to our disbelief!” said Melissa. “She went as deep as her chest without it even bothering her. Slowly, with more confidence, she would come out deeper and deeper each time we took her to the beach. Now she’s a strong swimmer, our little water cat.”
Winnie Makes a Splash
In 2018, Melissa and Rian decided they wanted Nathan to have some company while they were at work, so they visited the RSPCA where they had found Nathan.
“We took Nathan with us to check out the cats,” said Melissa.
Most of the kittens there were scared or hissed at Nathan. Twelve-week-old Winnie, another black kitty, was the only one who was brave enough to come up to the cage door. She touched noses with Nathan.
“We thought that was a good sign and we took Winnie home with us that day. We like to think that Nathan chose Winnie,” said Melissa.
Like Nathan, Winnie had a rough beginning. She was found wandering alone at a beach surf club.
Surprisingly, Winnie’s first swim experience was very similar to Nathan’s.
“Rian ventured into that crystal clear water and Winnie followed and she swam on her first go,” said Melissa. “She didn’t even need to see Nathan swim first. We were very proud of her. Now she probably ventures into the water more than Nathan.”
Unless they are adventuring with Melissa and Rain, Nathan and Winnie are indoor cats.
Kyle the Mermaid-Cat
Thousands of miles away from the sunny beaches of Australia, little Kyle and his kitty sibling Simon live with their family in Germany.
Human mom Anna said Simon was a solo cat when she decided to get a friend for him. She saw on Facebook a post by a local shelter, with a picture of a very thin and sad looking little kitten.
“We just immediately fell in love with him, we wrote the shelter right away and signed up for adoption,” she said.
Kyle was very small, and his history wasn’t known.
“They informed us that he was separated too early from his mother and authorities had to step in, so they couldn’t say his exact age, just that they assumed he was 8-9 weeks old,” said Anna.
“By accident we later found the first foster family that had Kyle right after he was found, who told us the whole story about his background,” she said.
Anna said little Kyle had been living on the streets. He was just a few weeks old when someone picked him up and kept him as a children’s toy and fed him with bread.
“They must have been very cruel to him, because the vet confirmed that he lost the tip of his tail, either it was cut or just fallen off,” said Anna.
He was very malnourished when he came to the first foster family.
“She even thought Kyle wouldn’t make it the first night,” said Anna. “She also thinks they did not give him any water, because he seemed to first come in contact with water at her home – maybe that explains his love of it.”
Anna said Kyle was immediately very affectionate.
“You could see that he had separation anxiety and would follow me everywhere, slept with me or my daughter in the bed and just be very loving and sweet,” she said.
Kyle’s obsession with water started by him constantly flipping the water bowl over or trying to bathe his paws in the bowl.
“Then I noticed him being always curious about me using the sink,” said Anna. “He would always sit next to me and watch me, also he wasn’t running away like every other normal cat would do when water splashes landed up on him.”
She decided to let the water in the sink run and she invited him to touch it by calling him.
“He was careful but not scared and immediately played with the tap,” she said. “It quickly escalated, the next thing I know he is bathing and splashing in the sink every time I let him, even tries to shower with me.”
Now, every time Anna steps into the bathroom baby Kyle is there and sits in the sink, asking her to turn on the tap for him.
She filmed his bath times for friends and family, and some of them begged her to upload a video of him on TikTok.
“So, I decided to give it a try and it kind of just went viral overnight,” she said.
Anna is happy that Kyle has a good life and can bring joy to people.
“People often write us that it just makes their day a little bit happier when they see him just being himself,” she said. “A little bundle of happiness just enjoying his life no matter what circumstances he had to fight with.”