The Magnificent 7 Cats are a beautiful family of felines a living in a quiet part of London called Putney with their mom and dad, Sasha and Steven.
To date they’ve racked up over a million Facebook fans, and Cats vs Cancer recently scored exclusive interviews with each of them. Below is the third in a series of adorable profiles you won’t want to miss. Click here to see the rest of interviews.
Our third subject was Ugs, a Persian who’s known to be the kindest, most caring and sweet-natured of The Magnificent Seven Cats.
Cats vs Cancer: So Ugs, where did your name come from? Is there any connection to the popular Uggs shoe company? If so ever considering becoming their official spokes-cat?
Ugs: Everyone asks me that because Ugs is an unusual name. Because I’m a Persian I have a flat face and my nose is a bit squashy which means I can be a bit snuffly. When I eat I make a grunting noise which sounds a bit like ‘ug’. I thought that was normal but Rocky made fun of me. He said I was more a like a pig than a cat. But I don’t care what he says because I like piggies. I suspect they’re probably delicious and they certainly have very cool noses. And that’s why I’m called Ugs.
I’d be happy to be a spokes-cat for the Ugg company because my mom has lots of their boots. Perhaps they could pay me in food. Any food will do. Food is my favourite thing.
CvsC: Persian cats are known for their luxurious long coats, which I can imagine can be a lot to groom. Any styling tips for other Persians out there?
Ugs: Sometimes I like my fur and sometimes I don’t. I see ladies on the TV shaking their hair and it’s all shiny and bouncy and they smile like they’re really happy and the sun always shines through their hair.
My fur isn’t like that. My worst thing is being brushed –it gives me a feeling like eughhh! But if mom doesn’t brush me my fur gets matted and that’s really bad and I have to be shaved which I hate even more. If even see those clippers come out I run for cover. But actually it’s worth it because when I’ve been shaved I look like a handsome lion and I feel amazing, like I have a new body. I stretch out on my mat and arrange myself to look all sexy but only mom seems to notice.
CvsC: For a long time Persian cats were the preferred cats of royalty in England. Do you ever day dream about what life was like for your ancestors?
Ugs: Did you know that cats can have more than one life? I can even remember some of mine. I lived at Buckingham Palace a long time ago when the Queen was called Victoria. She had soooo many children and it was a cool place to live. I wasn’t a Persian then, though. I wasn’t even a cat – I was a horse and Her Maj really loved her horses. I went out for a gallop in Hyde Park every day and even pulled the royal carriage. The grooms gave me as many carrots as I could eat. Weirdly, I hate carrots now; they make me barf. Another time I was the Archbishop of Canterbury. He liked carrots but wasn’t a cat.
CvsC: You’ve been called the most sweet-natured of the Mag 7 and often look after your siblings when they’re not feeling well. Where do you think that desire to help others came from?
Ugs: I think all cats should be kind because that’s why we’re here – to spread love. Some cats don’t get this and are too busy grooming themselves with their big blue eyes, perfect fur and tiny noses (mentioning no names, PIXIE!). I like looking after people because when I was a kitten I had a tough time. Then my mom found me and took me home to look after me. It felt so good, like I was being wrapped in a warm blanket of love and all my troubles melted away. If I can make other cats and people feel warm and loved then I’m happy.
Some of the other cats get the wrong idea when I sniff their butts though. I’m only trying to help because a healthy butt means a healthy cat and we should look out for each other. Rocky isn’t convinced by this and says I’m going to get myself arrested one of these days.
Junior said the reason I have a squashed nose is that Prince pushed me into a wall because I sniffed his butt. That was a big fat lie and it hurt my feelings. Mom said I should just tell Junior that I’m proud to be brachiocephalic because that’s what make me special. I did try this but one of the deep ironies of being brachiocephalic is the fact that trying to say ‘brachiocephalic’ just comes out as ‘ug, ug, grunt’. This made Junior roll around laughing so much he peed on the kitchen floor and mom wasn’t happy. Instant karma!
CvsC: Do your siblings ever get annoyed when you try to cuddle them too much?
Ugs: Yes, constantly. I sometimes wonder why I bother. Tom doesn’t mind so much but I suspect he has an ulterior motive (quite probably cheese- related). I’m still looking onto that. He’s an odd boy and it may take some time to figure out.
CvsC: Your favorite treat is Dreamies. What is it about those treats that you love so much? Do you have a favorite flavor?
Did I tell you that my favourite thing is food? Well my favourite food is Dreamies because they’re soft inside but crunchy outside. I probably like chicken flavour best but I’m not that fussy. I’m more of a quantity-not- quality kind of cat. Which reminds me. People should remember that 2 or three Dreamies feels like not quite enough to me.
CvsC: You’ve been known to give a high-five now and then, which we see more in dogs than cats. Why do you think more cats don’t embrace the high-five as a form of affection?
I love giving high fives! There are two reasons for this. I will call them the first reason and the second reason because when there is more than one of something it’s called a list and list should have numbers. My dad says it keeps things neat. My first reason is that I like to show people that I’m a clever cat and can understand what ‘high-five’ means (we understand most of what people say); this makes my people happy and generally scores me a Dreamy. The second reason is a special reason because when I touch a person I can bring them love and healing and that’s my special job. I do think more cats should high-five but I think some maybe don’t think of it. Or maybe the Dreamies are coming a bit too easily to make it worth their while.
CvsC: Of the Magnificent 7 Cats, I’m definitely the most ______________
Ugs: Ug, ug, grunt!
Thanks to Ugs for taking the time to answer our questions! Be sure to check back soon for more interviews with the Magnificent 7 cats, and don’t forget to check out their Facebook page here.
And to see how your time spent here on Cats vs Cancer helps us raise money for some great causes, check out this short video to see how it all works:
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