The Barthels promised their reluctant 7-year-old a cat if he stuck with the summer swim league. He did. Nala arrived in August 2018, and the boy who earned her now trains seven days a week.
When Angela and Ron Barthel moved to Firethorne, they hoped their oldest son, Rhys, would get involved in the neighborhood's summer swim league. To coax their reluctant 7-year-old into giving it a try, they made a promise they never expected would change their family.
"We told him, 'If you just go to practice, we'll get you a cat,'" Angela says with a laugh. "As one of my dear neighbors, Michelle, said, 'You promise him a goldfish for something like that, not a cat!' We really didn't think he would stick with it."
Rhys did exactly what he promised. He completed the summer swim league, and the Barthels kept their word, adopting Nala, a snow lynx Bengal cat, in August 2018.
Angela still remembers walking to the pool with her grumpy young swimmer one day when he said, "Well, I sure am earning that cat!"
The family could never have predicted where that first season of swimming would lead. Today Rhys is a highly competitive swimmer who trains seven days a week with SwimMAC in Charlotte.
No ordinary house cat
Ron found Nala's name while researching "jungle cat" names, a fitting choice for a Bengal, a domesticated hybrid of the Asian leopard cat. True to that heritage, Nala is no ordinary house cat.
"She is definitely a high-maintenance girl," Angela says. "She uses all of her toys, beds, towers and equipment. Bengals are much more similar to dogs than cats in a lot of ways. They need to be socialized, engaged and entertained because if not, they can be a bit wild."
When Nala was a kitten, Angela and Ron encouraged their boys' friends to come over after school and play with her so she would become comfortable around people. It worked. Nala has grown into a social cat who loves being surrounded by her active family.
With Angela and Ron and their sons Rhys, 15, Sebastian, 13, and Nico, 6, there is rarely a quiet moment, and that is exactly how Nala likes it. Unlike many cats who hide when children get loud, Nala runs toward the excitement. She loves chasing the boys around the house and happily joins in their games.
She is also quite the conversationalist. "Bengal cat sounds range from out-of-tune meowing to howling to chirping," Angela says. "Unfortunately, this can be at 3 a.m. sometimes."
Her vocal performances have even interrupted work meetings. "I had a Zoom meeting once and the person said to me, 'I'm sorry, but is someone in distress in your home? What's that noise?'" Angela says. "Oh, just our cat! She is highly dramatic!"
For a family with three energetic boys, Nala has proven to be the perfect fit. "She is very independent but is not afraid of a noisy and busy family," Angela says. "She loves to always be where the action is."
The Barthels were on the cover in August. Meet the family here.
To have your pet featured, please email Delia at ballantyne@strollmag.com.
This story appears in the October 2026 issue of Stroll Firethorne. Read the full edition here.