A very important role in the life of Manu and me is played by our cat Matisse. Before being a member of our family, Matisse was a part of my life before I met Manu, and – needless to say – a very important part of it.
Matisse is a huge chartreux weighing 9kg (my 18-months-old niece weighs 10,5kg…), with its typical grey fur and amber eyes. Amazing mysterious cat eyes. His fur is thick, soft and brilliant.
Matisse arrived thanks to my passion for cats. I desired a cat, I was looking for a chartreux, I carefully selected the cattery (that also carefully selected me!) and when finally on August 21st, 2001 Matisse Van De Hoendrik was born, he became my best mate, my baby, my teddy bear, my support in the difficoult moments, my friend in the lonely moments.
When I met Manu, one of the first things I told him about me, was that I had a big grey cat. Since the beginning Manu was very loving with him and Matisse paid him back with a lot of affection too, although he is very selective making friends. This was very significant for me and was just another confirmation that Manu was the right man for me.
That doesn’t mean that Matisse is always loving and cute… He can sometimes be very nasty, on a typical feline way, but he is also very playful and funny and incredibly sweet when he decides he wants to cuddle. Because yes, it’s him that decides.
Despite a certain fatness, Matisse has a very noble attitude, you should see him when he sits somewhere, preferably in a high position, supervising around and underneath with its superiority glance!
He is very gourmand and even if we usually keep him on a correct diet, we sometimes like to spoil him, allowing him a bite of ham, or fish, or meat or… French fries. He is just crazy about that! What else could we expect from a cat of French origin?