A caring cat has swapped glamorous photo shoots for helping the community in his new role as a therapy animal.
Spotted Bengal Leo, from Abingdon, starred in a series of award-winning images taken by Oxford Mail photographer Yuri Anderegg which were turned into a calendar in 2007.
The feline was happy posing everywhere from the Phoenix cinema to the back of a motorbike, even donning miniature boxing gloves for one snap.
It is exactly this temperament that owner Ellie Silverwood believed would make him an ideal therapy animal.
She said, 'He is so relaxed and easy-going, I always say he is more like a Labrador than a cat.'
(The Oxford Times, 24th January 2019)
The feline was happy posing everywhere from the Phoenix cinema to the back of a motorbike, even donning miniature boxing gloves for one snap.
It is exactly this temperament that owner Ellie Silverwood believed would make him an ideal therapy animal.
She said, 'He is so relaxed and easy-going, I always say he is more like a Labrador than a cat.'
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‘Yeah, so, basically I was a mess, man. Burned out. I mean, sure, it was wild! I was hooked on the adrenalin, you know? Fast bikes and even faster living.
‘And the money was insane. Everyone wanted a celebrity endorsement from the best-known Bengal in town. I was flogging boxing gloves, bike helmets, whatever – I took the cash and ran.
‘Then one day I couldn’t do it anymore. I was on a shoot in a cinema, 3D glasses on, paw in a bucket of popcorn, photographer snapping away – and something snapped in me. I thought to myself, “Leo! Leo, man! What the hell are you doing? This isn’t you!” I leapt out of my VIP cinema seat, popcorn everywhere, 3D glasses hanging from one ear and I just high-tailed it out of there. I was out the door and on my Harley before the photographer and crew knew what had hit them.
‘Long story short, I turned things around. That crazy, hedonistic life is behind me now, man. I’m devoting my life to wellness. Inner peace. Zen.
‘I – excuse me a second, I have to speak to my assistant. (What’s that, Kitty? My next appointment has arrived? Sure, I’ll be there in just a minute).
‘Yeah, so, as I was saying. I’m sharing my approach to life with the world now. Chilling people the hell out. I got my clinic set up here: fish tanks, catnip diffusers, quiet zones. People are queuing out the door to learn the key to happiness in this dog-eat-dog world.
‘And you know what I tell them? You know what the secret is? Naps. Lots and lots of naps. Wake up in the morning – nap. After breakfast – nap. Do some stretches – nap. And so on.
‘It sounds simple, and it’s always been my philosophy, but it’s amazing how many people are only just switching on to it as an ideology for life.
‘Anyway, I gotta go. My next patient’s arrived. We’ve got some heavy napping to work through. Ciao, man. Ciao.’
‘And the money was insane. Everyone wanted a celebrity endorsement from the best-known Bengal in town. I was flogging boxing gloves, bike helmets, whatever – I took the cash and ran.
‘Then one day I couldn’t do it anymore. I was on a shoot in a cinema, 3D glasses on, paw in a bucket of popcorn, photographer snapping away – and something snapped in me. I thought to myself, “Leo! Leo, man! What the hell are you doing? This isn’t you!” I leapt out of my VIP cinema seat, popcorn everywhere, 3D glasses hanging from one ear and I just high-tailed it out of there. I was out the door and on my Harley before the photographer and crew knew what had hit them.
‘Long story short, I turned things around. That crazy, hedonistic life is behind me now, man. I’m devoting my life to wellness. Inner peace. Zen.
‘I – excuse me a second, I have to speak to my assistant. (What’s that, Kitty? My next appointment has arrived? Sure, I’ll be there in just a minute).
‘Yeah, so, as I was saying. I’m sharing my approach to life with the world now. Chilling people the hell out. I got my clinic set up here: fish tanks, catnip diffusers, quiet zones. People are queuing out the door to learn the key to happiness in this dog-eat-dog world.
‘And you know what I tell them? You know what the secret is? Naps. Lots and lots of naps. Wake up in the morning – nap. After breakfast – nap. Do some stretches – nap. And so on.
‘It sounds simple, and it’s always been my philosophy, but it’s amazing how many people are only just switching on to it as an ideology for life.
‘Anyway, I gotta go. My next patient’s arrived. We’ve got some heavy napping to work through. Ciao, man. Ciao.’
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