I'm a sucker for cats, it doesn't matter what they look like. But I will say, I often stop dead in my tracks when I feast my eyes on a Russian Blue cat. Those eyes, that coat, I'm done! It's hard to look at one of these blue kitties and not admire their infinite beauty. And when it comes to Teeny Dina, she is worthy of all the admiration she gets. And the best part about her new chapter of life is that now she's found her purpose and calling—to be the belle of the ball and the light of her humans' lives. Dina is a retired show cat, and although things didn't work out so well for her on the cat show circuit, she's earned herself two dedicated forever fans in the form of her humans who want nothing more than to see her shine every single day. And boy, does she shine! Thankfully for Dina, her original owners knew the right thing to do was to find a family for her where she could be loved and spoiled and get to spend her days in peace and quiet at home.
- A little throwback of Teeny Dina when she was just itty bitty Dina:
- Everyone, meet Teeny Dina—the equivalent of a kitty cat supermodel and advocate for fellow felines!
- I see she’s a retired show cat, can you tell me a little about that?
- What’s her personality like?
- What are her favorite hobbies?
- What’s something special that you’d like people to know about her?
A little throwback of Teeny Dina when she was just itty bitty Dina:
I caught wind of Dina on Instagram, and after admiring her photos for way too long, I reached out to her owner to see if I could feature this beautiful cat and her unique happily ever after tale with the Cattitude Daily readers. Thankfully they accepted, so keep reading to learn all about this gorgeous girl who is a total queen and absolute winner in my book.
Everyone, meet Teeny Dina—the equivalent of a kitty cat supermodel and advocate for fellow felines!
How did Dina come into your life, and how old is she?
"Dina turned 5 years old this past July! I have always loved the Russian Blue breed but have always had adopted shelter pets prior to Dina. I am very sensitive about the importance of finding healthy and happy homes for the millions of adoptable animals in the world and I didn't want to create more demand for unethical breeding programs. I ended up meeting a family that shows pedigree Russian Blues at national and international cat shows and Dina was about to retire from being a show cat. After our previous cat passed away a few years ago, we decided that we wanted to adopt an older cat instead of a kitten so at the time she was about 4 years old and that was perfect for us. We got to know the family a bit and spent time with Dina on weekends and we all discovered we had a great connection and she seemed to really love us. Long story story short, it made sense for everyone for us to adopt her into our family and let her live her retirement in comfort and glamour as an internet supermeowdel that doesn't have to travel or be around crowds anymore!"
I see she’s a retired show cat, can you tell me a little about that?
"Dina was a show cat for a few years but didn't seem to love the crowds and fellow cats as much as some others do and as a result, her original family knew that she would make a perfect pet for a family like ours instead of putting her on stage at any more cat shows. I really appreciate that they cared for her so much to see that the show cat life wasn't a perfect fit for her personality and that we had a chance to adopt her so that she can be spoiled and pampered with us instead. Now we get to show off her beauty and personality but she doesn't even have to leave the comfort of our living room to do it."
What’s her personality like?
"If I had to pick three traits, I'd say playful, affectionate, and curious! She is a very, very smart cat and is also quite sensitive to humans' emotions and feelings and can tell when you're feeling down. She loves to play when she's not napping, she is quite ornery at times and likes to climb, explore, and stick her paws anywhere interesting. But most of all, she's a very loving and affectionate cat, too. We wake up to her rolling around on us, kneading our faces, and lots of head butts and purrs until we get out of bed. If we watch a movie, she's often napping on one of our knees and she always runs to the front door after we've been out of the apartment for any length of time so that she can properly greet us!"
What are her favorite hobbies?
"Dina is a nap master, but when she's not deep in a nap, she loves to explore and play. She's lived with us for over a year but she still finds new cupboards to crawl around in, tight spaces to fit into, and tall spots in the apartment she hasn't yet conquered. She's also a big fan of crinkly and/or shiny balls that she can play soccer with and she'll play a game of soccer at ANY time of day if she wants to! When she's relaxing, she loves laying in her window hammock or cat tree and watching the birds that fly around our building."
What’s something special that you’d like people to know about her?
"Dina is a beautiful, rare, and special cat and we're very fortunate to have her in our lives. We also feel strongly that she would want us to advocate for many important things in the pet world like stressing the importance of adoption, spaying and neutering to control the pet population, educating against the practice of declawing, and anything else we can to make the lives of our animal companions healthier, happier, and the best that they can be. We've known her long enough to know that her loving heart would want that for other cats and dogs too, and we think that's pretty special!" I'm sure you want to see more of this little queen, right? Keep up with her daily demands and adorable antics on Instagram @teenydina, and you can even find her on Facebook, too. And don't forget to check out her coffee, it'll make you say meow! I'd like to give a special "thank you" to Nate for being so kind and allowing me to share Dina's images and story with you all. If you know someone who could use a smile and loves cats, share this story with them!
All Images Courtesy of Teeny Dina on Facebook