I overheard a conversation during an assignment at a cat show in Ballinteer, Dublin, between Northern cat owners that piqued my interest. Sharon and Trevor McNeely were showing their Maine Coons and all I really picked up on was “Swimming!”
While out for walk with their Maine Coons, they had realised that they (the cats) had a hankering for water. On a beach, the cats kept making for the sea. Following a chat with the vet, and an appointment with a specialist aqua therapy physiotherapist, they have never looked back.
As we (I was with my son Freddy, a student of photography) arrived at Aqua Dog Hydrotherapy in Lisburn, Co Antrim, Sharon and Trevor were unloading Smoky, Reuben, Phoebe and Billy.
Three of the four were well used to the swim but for the baby, Billy, it was his first time.
A physiotherapist gave them all the once-over, examining their mobility, got them into their life jackets and they headed off into the pool. They all silently slipped into the water, which was heated to 36 degrees, assisted by the attentive staff at the facility, Sarah Jane Earwicker, Luke Mulholland, Erin Black and Joanne Mulholland. The cats acted like it was the most natural thing in the world. No drama, just swimming cats, nothing to see here! Even the first-timer, Billy, just slid in and confidently disappeared off to the far end of the pool.
