Hi everyone, remember Kanel, the Siamese cat from Miami who had a brother, Niko? Well, this article is about this little prankster, rescued together with Kanel, but who is a totally different… cat story!

Soledad found both Kanel and Niko trapped under the building where she used to live. Here is what she recalls about that day:

“Before I could get them out of the area where they were trapped, I had to unscrew a metal grating which was covering the opening in the concrete wall and it was taking me a long time to do so, so I brought food, made a paper funnel and started to send food their way through the diamond shaped trusses. They were so little and slow that food was falling on their heads, and Niko, clumsily, got on his brother’s back and started eating from Kanel’s fluffy head, it was the cutest! A little later I was able to get them out of there, and it’s been the most amazing sharing my life with these two beautiful creatures, as I sometimes call them.”

• NAME: NIKO - “I always liked the name Nicolas, if I had a human kid, I’d probably named him Nicolas and called him Nico. But since I don’t plan on contributing to the growth of the human race, Niko - with a K, sounded perfect for my new kitten (at the time I thought his little brother was a little sister, Kanel - the Blue eyed rescued Siamese
• SIBLINGS: KANEL & ONYX
• AGE: 5 years old
• BREED: Siamese mix
• FAVORITE FOOD: Fish… and cheese! “Niko absolutely loves his Salmon and Tuna Pate, he gets it as a treat alongside his brothers, but he finishes first and waits to eat any leftovers from the other plates, he licks all three plates until they shine!... that, and cheese! Let me just say it gets very tricky to eat cheese around Niko.”
• FAVORITE ACTIVITY: A walk to the… bathroom! “I have to say that his favourite activity is to accompany me (Soledad) to the bathroom! It does not matter if he is sleeping or eating, if he hears the bathroom door opening, he’s there. If I dare to close the door on him, he meows and pushes the door trying to open it. I call it his favorite activity because it’s been the most consistent over the five years we’ve been together. He also enjoys unplugging my computer charger (the Mac magnetic charger connector) over and over; I connect it, he disconnects, it’s a game for him!
• FAVORITE PLACE TO HANG OUT: Windows – he loves the sun and to watch the birds and the lizards in the garden
• FAVORITE TOY: Balls, balls, balls… and paper bags!
• RESIDENCE: Miami, Florida, USA

CHEESE – A WORD BEYOND MAGIC

I believe that by now Soledad managed to help you get an idea about how different Niko is compared to his brother, Kanel. But not only is he different, he is, in fact, the total opposite of his brother. He is playful, extremely curious, very active, jumping everywhere, one minute on top of the fridge, the other hiding under the bed. Soledad suspects that he is suffering of FOMO 😊, he is following her everywhere and he wants to know everything all the time. When they have guests over, he may be shy at first, but he will come and interact especially if the humans are having wine and cheese! Yes, cheese is the magic word and food which brings him to their table every time.

MY PRECIOUS… TERRITORY

Niko is a very friendly cat, accepting most humans, however his precious territory is being under threat the moment his dog cousins, Paz and Luna come to visit. He makes the weirdest noises, hisses at them and gets very protective of his litter box, he sits on top of it and doesn’t let any dog get too close to his bathroom. If the dogs get the chance to wander around the house, he sits in a corner and won’t let the dogs pass by, he is acting like a bully until you scold him and tell him that he is being ridiculous. He will eventually stop, but until the dogs are out of the door, he keeps alert and looks after his territory.

NOT ANOTHER BROTHER!

Niko is not acting territorial only towards dogs. He is currently struggling to accept his youngest brother, Onyx, another rescued cat, only 4 months old (here is his story). The first couple of weeks were the toughest, as he could not accept the fact that Onyx was not only visiting. He started to behave very uncomfortable and distant towards his mother. Eventually, as he was missing the attention so much, he started to go back to bed and cuddle with Soledad, leaving his belly available for the so missed belly rubs! He is still not very friendly with the little Onyx, but his mother thinks it is just a matter of time.

THE TECHNOLOGY BUG RUNS IN THE FAMILY

Niko’s curious and playful nature has left him with the reputation of “the family prankster”. He loves to inspect everything, checking all the surfaces in the house, throwing things of the floor just to see if they roll of to get a reaction from the humans. He has broken glasses the humans forgot to wash and put away on time. He shares the same fascination for the technology with his brother Kanel, so his humans must be very careful to not leave the laptops unattended, otherwise he may want to lay on them, navigate the web or send emails, depending on the… mood.

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Would you think that a cat can be fascinated with money?... I thought so! Here is a short, but intense story, told by Soledad, about Niko’s latest prank.

“On a Friday night, I left money, a couple of bills on the counter. It was one of those lazy weekends where you stay home all day and night and don’t even walk outside the house to get your mail. Saturday came and while cleaning up, I realised that the money was gone, so I started looking all over, but the money was nowhere to be found! Sunday came, looked again, under the carpet, under the furniture, in their toys, on the fridge, just in case. Did he eat it? I hoped not, he never showed any interest in paper other than crinkled paper to kick as a ball. Did he flush it down the toilet? Wait, he could not do that! Money was gone! Comes Monday, I had to go back to work. I fed the boys, had already forgotten all about the money and I walked outside the door. When I looked on the door mat, surprise, surprise! The money! He had managed to slide the bills under the door until he or I, could no longer see them from the inside. And yes, even though Kanel was there as well, I have no doubt it was Niko’s idea and performance. I am glad that no one came by and took the money!”

HOW DID NIKO AND KANEL CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

“The relationship I've developed with each of them, because of their different personalities, is amazing. The unconditional love they brought to my life only grows. The learning, patience, unspoken communication, I don't see my cats as pets, we are a family!”

TRIVIA

When Soledad is traveling she tries to find little hats from different countries to bring to them, even though they hate wearing them. There is a picture of Niko in his photo gallery wearing a hat from Romania!

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