Cats i have known

Nicky and Boots: When i was very young, we had two somewhat feral cats. Nicky disappeared one night (probably coyotes) and Boots got a hematoma in his ear and died. I remember sobbing myself to sleep after the bad news. I found out many years later that my parents had taken him to the vets for an involuntary suicide.

Isis: We didn't have cats for years and years. Until, when i was in high school, i begged and begged and finally, one Christmas, a beautiful blue-point siamese cat appeared. I did not expect my parents to give in to my request for a kitten. She spent her first frightened night hiding in the fireplace, and early in the morning snuck into my bed, leaving little soot roses on my covers with her feet.

Siri: This cat was the issue of Isis, for whom my parents paid $27.50 to get laid so that i could witness the miracle of life and placentas. A wonderful, wonderful cat. the kind with no bones who cuddles under the covers with you all night and purrs.

Emily: With this cat, the Mister and i began our lives together. We got her as an adult from a no-kill cat shelter. She was a beautiful calico and was also slightly paranoid. A sweet kitty, but so scared.

Al Capone: He died of kitty leukemia the night that the Mister's and my parents met for the first time. I'll have to tell you about that night sometime. Hoo boy!


Bucko Photon Uberkatt, Intrepid Space Wanderer and Intergalactic Soldier of Fortune. A wedding present from my brother that i had to pay $45 to fly to San Jose from Seattle, where we were living at the time. We arrived for a visit from San Jose to Tacoma once with Bucko in tow. I thought the Mister's mother was going to shit little green nickels when she saw us get out of the car with a cat. But Bucko ended up charming everyone and making himself at home in the Mister's dad's armchair.

Eliot and Merlot: Merlot was a beautiful red point siamese who the Mister and i paid a fortune for at a real pet store. We got Eliot for an additional $10 at the same time to keep Merlot company. The Mister carried the receipt from the pet store around in his wallet for years because it said "$100, for kittens and supplies." Merlot disappeared in Colorado one day and Eliot lived with us for 16 years until he died, leaving an Eliot shaped hole in my heart that is still there today. He is buried in our yard and sometimes i still see his ghost slip by out of the corner of my eye.




Alice: One freezing night in Colorado the Mister found a very young kitten in a gutter by the side of the road. We kept her for 6 months and got her all her shots and had her spayed. Then we gave her away to some people who wanted a cat but couldn't afford all that.


Betsy: A present for Em when she was 6. She turned into a long haired ball of neurosis. She is a sweet girl, but has never recovered from the arrival of:

Grey Cat and Brown Cat: These siblings also came from a no-kill animal shelter about six years ago. These two tussle, clean each other, and sleep in a heap together. Grey Cat cuddles like a baby and Brown Cat is the talker. Both are excellent company.

The Friday word this week from Mona is Cat, or Kitty, or Pussy. As you can see, unlike some people, i have taken the high road here.