You already met his brothers, Kanel and Niko. Onyx is the newest addition to the family, barely 4 months old, but whose destiny was already dictated by his mother. She is expecting him to be the family protector! As he is very young, there are not too many big stories about him, however we trust that he will live up to the fame of his brothers and pride of his mother, Soledad.
- NAME: His name is Onyx, like the stone. He got his name after the black stone and also because it means he's the protector - or he will be!
- AGE: 4 months old
- BREED: Bombay mix
- SIBLINGS: Siamese cats Kanel and Niko
- COUSINS: Paz and Luna
- FAVOURITE FOOD: Too soon to tell, but for now, his favourite is his grown-up brothers' food. He eats his kitten food in a separate room but as soon as he's done, he runs (fast!) to the big brothers’ plates and eats as much as he can before I remove the plates! He's also curious about everything humans eat but hasn't shown a special interest in something, yet.
- FAVOURITE ACTIVITY: Pick fights with his brother Niko.
- FAVOURITE PLACE TO HANG OUT: Windows, just like his brother Niko. And humans' arms.
- FAVOURITE TOY: Spin the ball! Onyx is very much like Niko, I guess that's why they compete so much. But Onyx is 20 times more active! So, if there are no toys around he even plays with his own tail!
- RESIDENCE: Miami, FL in USA
HALLOWEEN AND THE BLACK CAT
It was the morning of Halloween, not hot for the usual Miami weather but not cold either, perfect for a walk. One of my friends was visiting, showing off her Halloween costume before she went to work so we went for a short walk. As we are coming back to the house we hear something, a couple of steps away from one of my trees there's a little black thing covered by leaves that moves. We walk closer and he opens his yellow eyes and looks at us. My heart melts. No other cats around, cat mom is not around, he barely moves, he's a baby and looks skinny. What do I do? First, I fed him... but I have two other cats, so I had to make sure he was OK before bringing him in. Within the hour I was taking him to the vet, he was a healthy 4-week old boy and he needed care. Apparently, he was still nursing, he would try to eat (or get milk) from my neck and my arm, he was not afraid of anything or anyone and he loved to be held... adorable! Long story short, he's a black cat and it's Halloween!! I had to keep him.
KANEL & NIKO ADJUSTING TO THE NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY
Onyx is very active and playful and wants to play with anything that moves, including his brothers. Kanel is very good at ignoring him and stays at higher places, so he can't reach him. Niko, on the other hand, is having issues with "Onyx's permanent visit" so there's always friction between them. Onyx stalks and chases him, and sometimes the playing escalates to real fighting where Niko ends up being hurt (he'd never hurt the little one) so he doesn't get a break to start liking his little brother and the friction continues. It's a work in progress...
LOUDEST PURRR EVER
Onyx has been home for just a little over 3 months, and it's been an adjusting process with Kanel and Niko. The first month, while he was getting his kitten treatments and vaccines, he was kept in a separate room and was introduced to his brothers little by little. There are not many stories about him yet, but he has the loudest purr and he is a very good boy when he goes to the vet. He is very young and is still developing his personality and special traits.
ONE MORE RUN BEFORE I FALL ASLEEP
One adorable thing he does is that, when he's tired and wants to sleep, he gets fussy like a baby, he gets like a rush of energy and runs around but his eyes look sleepy, he comes to you and tries to bite you, but he really wants to be held and wants you to rub his little chest and neck until he falls asleep, and that's exactly what we do. As soon as you see him running around with no purpose, you grab him, rub him, he fights a bit and bites your fingers, it's all part of the game, then he gives in to his nap.
NEEDY EATER
He's also special when it's time to eat. Since his older brothers already eat adult food and he has to stick to kitten food, they have to eat in separate areas, but Onyx will not eat if you don't stay with him. Not only stay with him but you must pet his back or scratch his belly while he eats, otherwise he gets distracted and leaves. Now, when you're petting him as he eats, he looks up every so often to make sure you are there! e bumps his head into yours, then he continues to eat.
ONYX – THE CHALLENGER
It has not only changed my life. It has challenged it. Up until five and a half years ago I had not had any pets. Kanel and Niko came unexpectedly and as a package. I had to get to know them and learn to be their mom, but all at once with both and it's been an amazing journey. Onyx brings a challenge because not only I have to care for him, I've also had to introduce him to his brothers and it's a process that is still going. I’m sure we'll get to a point where there will be no more fights and we live in harmony, but it will take time, lots of love and patience, I know :-)
Author: Soledad, mother of three: Kanel, Niko and Onyx