When Ben and Efi first met Ollie in 2018, they had no plans to adopt another kitty. They hand-raised kittens Lola from 10 days old and month-old Eddie, two years earlier.

But Ollie was this feisty, tiny little thing who was abandoned at a pet store with no mummy in sight, all alone.

“We would get supplies for our ‘kids’ at the store and saw a few people crowding around the boarding cattery,” recalled Efi.

A lady among the crowd turned towards her and said: “He’s so cute but don’t want to come when people call lah!”

Efi stuck her head in and saw this tiny little ball of white fluff who was barely a month old, huddling in the corner.

“I’ve never seen such behaviour in a kitten. He was neither scared nor playful,” Efi shared. “He just observed us, as if scanning to see which human would make a good cat slave!”

The store owner opened the cattery glass door and Efi took a step closer. The little boy bounded towards her and started licking, biting and bunny-kicking her hand.

The lady next to her sighed and laughed: “Haiyah! This feller choose you already, no kitten for my granddaughter lah!”

As smitten by the kitten, Efi was concerned she may not have the time and energy to care for another baby cat. But Ben felt Lola and Eddie would benefit from the adoption as Ollie’s ‘pawrents’.

“They could learn to socialise with other cats better as they’ve only been exposed to humans so far,” Ben explained.

They both felt having Ollie would open a positive, new chapter in Lola and Eddie’s married life (yes, they are an intimate couple despite having been neutered).

However, little did all four of them know, the new chapter in their lives would be filled with unexpected, challenging adventures.

Over the first two months of living with Ollie, Ben and Efi began noticing odd behaviour patterns in him. He became even more restless, feisty and would throw tantrums, running amok around the house, breaking things and then quite suddenly, just withdraw.

He also became sensitive to cuddles and touch, getting skittish and aggressive when they tried stroking him like before.

His vocalisation began changing too; “His meows sounded more like caterwauling but it certainly wasn’t a coming-of-age thing,” said Ben.

The couple strived to give Ollie the best they could, amidst worries of his strange behaviours.

Ollie became obsessive with his nightly routines with them – caterwauling to get into their room between 10pm to 11pm. He wouldn’t stop until they let him in.

Once inside, he’d jump onto their bed and have Ben stroke his head, followed by him climbing onto Efi to lick/groom her hair and (specifically) left ear.

“This can last anywhere between two to 20 minutes!” said Efi. When he’s done, he’d jump off their bed and wait in front of the door, cueing to be let out.

“He’s also a catdog. Not only does he love to dig into our huge indoor potted plants and roll about in the earth, he’d bury his toys in there,” Ben proclaimed.

Every now and then they would find him covered in dirt, making a mess in the living room.

So, they decided to get the gardeners to take the huge potted plant outside. “They removed some earth first so it’d be easier to carry; and that’s when we discovered two balls and his missing plushie fish, all buried in the pot!” cried Efi with laughter.

In all that time, Ollie’s moments of loving cuteness peppered with flashes of aggression worried them greatly.

So, the vet visits began, in case he had pain that had gone undiagnosed. One of the vets suggested a DNA test to identify his breed for specific disease risks as Ollie was strangely big for his age at 4.6 kilograms when he was four months old. Turned out he’s part Norwegian Forest.

It wasn’t until their animal behaviourist friend checked Ollie that they were comforted in learning the reasons behind Ollie’s oddities.

He explained that while most white cats with blue eyes are born deaf, amber-eyed Ollie had partial hearing. Hence, the strange vocalisation.

They were also told that Ollie has limited peripheral vision which explains his aggression should a hand or something surprisingly came from his side. But nothing prepared them for what they were told next.

Cats, in general, have served as inspiration for many psychology and healthcare experts to publish books on autism due to their inherent traits; but Ollie could likely be the real deal – an autistic cat.

“Although I tend to anthromorphise my cats for fun as I lead a very boring life,” admitted Efi, “but it’s shocking when an expert tells you this”. And it explains Ollie’s strangeness and lack of social skills clearly.

Three years on and Ollie is one of eight cats now. “He’s still pretty much a loner with only one ally, 20-month-old boy Tonic. And they’re more than just friends,” said Efi with a wink.

Ben and Efi loves Ollie as any parent would their child. All 9.8 kilograms of him. For all his awkwardness, occasional aggression and unexpected sweetness, it seems he definitely chose the right cat slaves.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.