Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

...bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens,
brown paper packages tied up with strings,
these are a few of my favourite things!

Ok, well not really. Although those things can be pretty cool! But I love this song, from The Sound of Music, and I decided I want to tell you about some of my favourite things! Sometimes, it's the little things that can make your day that little bit brighter :)

One of those things for me has been the cat who lives in our apartment building, Mel. Technically, you aren't allowed pets in our building - although I know of at least 2 dogs, a cat and 2 snakes (yes, really) that live here permanently. There are also a few cats who hang around, but one in particular captured our heart - Mel.

Just one of her favourite sleeping spots! She tried out the other box too!

One of our neighbours was feeding her, and she started stopping by to say hello on the way to get her breakfast. Over time, she became more and more trusting - from letting us pat her, to coming inside hesitantly, to meowing at the door to be let in. Nowadays, she lets herself in through the open window!

While she has lots of strange places she likes to sleep (the shoebox, in the cupboard, on the kitchen stool) her favourite place has to be a warm lap. If you sit down at the computer, or lay in the hammock while she is inside the house, you can guarantee that you will shortly have a warm friend keeping you company.

Mel likes the hammock, laps, and music!

I've loved her company when I've been home alone - talking to a cat is much better than talking to yourself!

Unfortunately (for us) she's moving to a new house soon - our neighbours who also took care of her have recently moved, and they want to take her with them. She's pregnant, and we know that the babies don't have a chance of surviving if they are born here. While she is very real-world savvy, and can survive on her own, the kittens just aren't able to, and we can't protect them here the way we want to. So its a bittersweet goodbye for now, but hopefully we will be able to go and visit her (and her kittens!) when we want.

In the cupboard, sleeping on my bag - where else?

Thank you Mel, for being my company, for keeping my legs warm during the winter months, and for bringing a smile to my face when I needed it! 

When we move to a more pet-friendly place, we're planning on adopting a dog or cat from the street - there are far too many animals here living on the streets, and we would prefer to give one (or maybe two... :) ) of them a second chance at life.

If you are in Floripa, please check out this organisation - Oba! Floripa. You can adopt an animal, or donate money/food to help them out. They also run a fantastic program where you can go and socialise with the dogs they are caring for and take them for walks!