The Kitties I have Known part 1

In an effort to prove to someone that I'm not all doom and gloom, that my life really doesn't revolve around adoption reform, I want to change things up a little bit.  Add some spice to my blog; I want to introduce the cats in my life.  :)

 Introducing Oscar.  He's an 11 year old tabby, with an old man attitude, a crook at the end of his tail (I think that his tail was stepped on as a kitten, but I'm not sure), and the deepest purr you've ever heard.  He's my buddy, and I'm his person.  He tells me LOUDLY when it's time for bed, and woe to me if I don't listen, or get out of bed after I'm safely tucked in.  He's the patriarch of our kitty clan, and takes no guff from anyone!  He was recently diagnosed with asthma, and has been having a difficult time of it lately.  His wheezing has been keeping me up at night, though, and there was one time I thought he'd just curled up next to me and slipped away.  Imagine his ire when I woke him up rather violently.  I think I was lucky to come away from the encounter with all my fingers in place.

This is Cleopatra, a 4 1/2 year old tabby and the matriarch of our kitty clan.  She is the Queen; you can call her Mama Patra, Auntie Patra, but just don't call her Cleo.  You'll get a paw full!  She is a definite daddy's girl; its especially funny to watch her jump on her daddy's lap and start to tread on his belly, purring up a storm an drooling all the while.

 

This is Qu'ushi, a domestic medium furred kitty.  His name is Hebrew for "little black boy"; in some ways, not very original, but Qu'ushi is a one of a kind cat.  He's a small fur kid, with a small voice, but a lot of love, and very much a daddy's boy.  He is Cleopatra's Prince Consort, even though he walks like a dandy, with a distinct swoosh to his stride.  And while he is a black cat, his time spent outside has bleached out some of his color, so he has patches of a deep mahogany brown.  If he wants something from you, he'll stand on his hind legs and stretch his forepaws up your leg and dig his claws in, meowing in a complaining voice until you figure out what it is he wants.  Typically his requests are for food, to be let outside or occasionally to be picked up.

These three cats are what I call our triumvirate.  They are the original cats that my fiance and I brought to the relationship when we moved in together.

Meet Jazz.  Beth is HER girl, and she is claimed by my daughter.  Beth is the one who found Jazz and her brother (whom we gave to some friends) on the grounds of the commercial nursery that we lived in for a year.  This 2 1/2 year old tabby quickly edged her way into our hearts.  She is named Jazz because she "sings"; her voice is melodious, for a cat, and she is a very vocal kitty.  She and Cleopatra tend to have arguments over who is dominate.  I'm not really sure if Cleopatra wins all the time, but Jazz is gracious enough to not shove it in her face every minute of the day.  Part of why Jazz thinks she's a contender for the throne is the fact that she's had several litters, and thinks that makes HER the Queen.  Which, in cat worlds, it does, but not necessarily in this household.

This handsome fellow is Pinkerton.  He was originally named Pinky because as a kitten, his fur was white, and showed a very pink skinned kitten.  At the time we thought he was a she, so Pinky would have been a perfectly acceptable name.  Boy, were we surprised!  So, his name morphed into Pinkerton; sometimes Stinky Pinky, Detective Pinkerton, and Pretty Boy.  He's about a year and a half old now, and is a short haired, tabby-Siamese mix.  We're not entirely sure where the Siamese comes from because ALL of his siblings, except for one have been either black, tabby or gray.  He's a very sweet boy, and always looking for a pet or to play.  We have an arm chair that is next to a walk way in our home; he'll jump up on the edge and either reach out a paw in play or he'll cock his neck to one side coyly asking for some love.

These are the first five of our cats...there's more to come so stay tuned.