When people ask me why I have so many cats, I don’t know what to say other than I just love these animals.

I grew up with cats, my mum used to rescue animals and help find them homes.

My own journey all started with my rescue cat Morgan. He was so well behaved and lovely. He died a few years ago, but I keep his collar with me.

When I had Morgan, my friends had a Maine Coon – Ludo. My auntie had also had a Maine Coon when I was younger.

I fell in love with the breed, and now I have six Maine Coons – Sora, Sienna, Sushi, Senshi, Soimi and Gojo.

Cats in the basin, cats on the fridge…

They’ve all got Japanese names, we just couldn’t help ourselves. But they’ve got very different personalities.

Sienna, the girl – she only wants to cuddle on her own terms. The boys, Sushi and Sora are just like big teddies. They love cuddles and sit in the stupidest, smallest places – like on top of the fridge.

I’ve also got a washing basin which used to be for doing dishes, but now it’s a cat basin.

They’ve got their own cat room, one of the bedrooms in my house in Forfar, and an outdoor ‘catio’ but they’d rather be in the way.

And these are big cats! They sleep sprawled out and they’re so heavy, you can’t move them.

Maine Coons ‘not your average moggie’

There’s always something happening, they keep us on our toes. I’m constantly cleaning and hoovering because even when they play, fur flies everywhere.

They love playing with my daughters, Elle, 14, and Poppy, 10. But we tend to keep them out of the kids’ rooms because they’re so big, they just knock everything down.

And they’re very needy cats, they need a lot of attention and affection. This is the thing about Maine Coons, they’re not a breed you can just go out and buy without researching.

They’re not just your average moggie. They’re very food orientated, so you can train them with treats. Mine are like giant dogs – I get them to ‘sit’ for a treat.

And because they’re so heavy, we have a rule in the house that visitors don’t try to pick up the cats. We don’t want anyone getting dropped or scratched.

Trying to cut their claws is a nightmare, even for me!

Particularly because some of our Maine Coons have extra toes. It’s a common thing with the breed, they can be polydactyl.

Our youngest, Sushi, has 28 toes! The extra ones are like extra thumbs, and he will use them. Soimi has extra toes too, like mittens.

Special bond with ‘mum’s boy’ Sora

I think my most special bond is with Sora, who I got first while my rescue cat Morgan was still alive. I have fond memories of the two playing together.

Sora’s an absolute mum’s boy, I call him my son. He’ll follow me everywhere, and never goes to my partner. He only wants cuddles from me.

I’ll chat to him and he chats back! They’re a talkative breed.

Elle, my oldest, likes Gojo – they are good pals. And Poppy just loves all the cats. She goes around them all every night to say goodnight to every one of them.

My partner doesn’t have a choice but to love them! You either take me with my cats or not at all.

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