Politicians and their Pets: Stephanie Callaghan, her dog Tilly and cats Loki and Indy

Pet’s names? 
Tilly, Indy and Loki.

Breeds?  
Tilly is a labrador, Loki is a ginger cat and Indy a brown and white cat.

Ages?  
Tilly is 8, Indy and Loki are both 2.

How long have you had them?  
Tilly for seven years and the cats since they were eight weeks old.

Where did you get them?  
Tilly from our friend Kathleen – she hated being home alone during the day. Our two cats are brothers and came from a farm in Blantyre.

What can they do?  
Our cats think they’re dogs — they come on family walks and wag their tails. Tilly is a typical Lab – no fancy tricks but she can eat for Scotland.

What do you love about them?  
They’re soft and cuddly and don’t answer back (unlike our kids).

What special talents do they have?  
They make us smile and know when I’m coming home from Edinburgh. Loki is always waiting on the stairs outside. 

What’s their best trick?  
The cats pull off the kitchen kickboards and disappear under the floor.

What are their most annoying habits?  
Tilly drools when we’re eating and the cats sneakily drink anything in a cup or glass. 

What’s the worst thing they’ve done?  
Tilly jumped off a 50ft crag, bounced off two trees and trotted out of the bushes with a wee scrape on her chin. As a new kitten, Indy escaped out the back door before he was allowed outside. When we discovered Indy was missing the next morning, we eventually found him wedged inside a Barbie campervan in the garden. We had to break the van to get him out. Loki punctured his lung when he was hit by a car but recovered quickly.

Do you think of yourself as a pet parent or pet owner?  

Pet parent, of course.

What’s the most ridiculous thing you have done for your pet?  
Sitting up all night feeding Tilly chicken stock through a syringe when she caught gastroenteritis. 

What was the first pet you ever had?  
A goldfish called... Goldie. My sister was a bit more adventurous — her goldfish was called Fertie-Furtile.

What would be your dream pet?  
We have three dream pets already, I’m not sure I could cope with any more.

If you could be any animal what would you be?
That’s easy – a unicorn.