Frugal Hound Sniffs: The Frugal Cottage

A note to new readers: while we often delve deeply into financial topics (such as The Privilege of Pursuing Financial Independence and 11 Ways To Be A Frugal Weirdo And Love It), we also like to keep it irreverent and downright silly. Because hey, who doesn’t need an investigative interview series conducted by a dog?! And so, I hope you’ll enjoy Frugal Hound Sniffs! If you’d prefer a more, ahem, financial independence-related post, start here.

Greetings, Internet!

Taking a break from my rigorous napping lecture tour schedule, it’s your trusty hound interview series host, Frugal Hound. We continue our survey of personal finance pets today with two fine feline specimens from across the pond.

I’m especially delighted to introduce you to these two tasty lovely cats who live the frugal life, just like me. While I feel it’s tantamount to torture that I wasn’t allowed to sniff these cats in the fur, I am still pleased to bring you this riveting interview with the Frugal Cats of The Frugal Cottage.

1) Who are you? What are you? And who are your parent(s)?

We’re Frugal Cats 1 and 2 and we live in the North of England, UK, with our mum Nicola and dad, though he prefers to not be known. Nicola writes the blog The Frugal Cottage and gives good cuddles when we’re in the mood for them. We were adopted from a rescue centre when we around 9 months old, though no one seems to know our exact age.

2) What frugal tips and tricks does your human use in your pet care regime?

Our parents do the majority of our care themselves, and research the best possible prices for the things we need such as food or flea/worming tablets. They try to brush us occasionally, but as cats we really don’t like this at all. We’re much better at keeping ourselves clean, as we try to demonstrate often. We don’t need any brushes coming into contact with our fur! The only thing our parents splurge on for us is the place we go to stay when our parents go away. But it’s only because they love us so much and want us to be well cared for!

3) Favorite treat?

Ooh, our favourite treat has to be a fresh prawn, though it takes us awhile to eat one. We don’t get these very often; only when our parents are splashing out on fresh seafood. We also like Dreamies, which are cat treats, but again, we only get those occasionally; we don’t want to be getting fat!

4) Favorite toy?

We like to play with a stuffed catnip toy that we got when we first arrived at our new home at The Frugal Cottage. We like to chase it around and pretend it’s real and we’re killing it. I (Frugal Cat 2) am also fond of bringing in leaves to play with, which can provide lots of entertainment. The bigger the leaf, the better!

5) What’s the most expensive thing you’ve destroyed?

Although we occasionally scratch the curtains, which we are both quickly removed from, we’re pretty good around the house. We have a special scratching post that is all ours, plus we are allowed outside so we generally leave things along. I (Frugal Cat 1) was once sick on a door mat which had to be chucked out, but we’re good cats most of the time.

6) Most embarrassing moment?

Anytime we have to go to the vet’s is not a good time for us; from the noises we make in the car journey there (it sounds as if we’re being tortured in the back seat) to the quivering wrecks we turn into in the examination room, the less time we spend there the better! Luckily, we always get lots of cuddles from our parents, once we’ve forgiven them for taking us… but we are a bit pathetic when we go there.

7) How often do you get a bath and would you say it’s too often?

As cats, we avoid water at all costs. It is an evil thing! As far as we can remember, we have never had to have a bath, thank goodness. As cats, we are very good at keeping ourselves clean and wash ourselves everyday, sometimes multiple times. The only time we’ve had to be dried is when it has rained a lot and we were caught outside in the storm. Then we get picked up in the dreaded towel, which is not a pleasant experience at all.

8) What is your family’s financial plan or goals and how do you contribute?

Our family’s plan is to continue to live simply and then retire early. We probably won’t be around when they finally make it, but we’re intent on enjoying the journey with them whilst we can!

Our contribution to the overall plan is to provide our parents with much love and amusement; we can be pretty daft when we want to be and chasing each other around the living room is very funny apparently!

9) What is your best skill?

I’d say that both of us are especially skilled at sleeping. I mean, a cat’s life is hard! We can spend many hours of the day snoozing away in the sunshine, dreaming about chasing mice. We like to think we’re pros at napping!

The End

Thank you, Frugal Cat 1 and 2! I too attempt to bathe myself and wish that my efforts would be rewarded with a bath-free existence like yours. This further confirms my suspicions that my parents actually enjoy the hilarity of bathing me…

Mrs. Frugalwoods here: Many thanks to Nicola from The Frugal Cottage for assisting Frugal Cat 1 and 2 with writing out their interview (it’s tough to type with paws, after all). The Frugal Cottage is a personal finance blog about simple living and early retirement that focuses on building memories and experiences, not buying things. 

P.S. Follow Frugalwoods on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for even more hilarious photos of Frugal Hound and friends!