Friday, June 29, 2007

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.

25 comments:

TTQ said...

Aww such touching stories, I miss all my past kitties too. My mom just got two kittens last year that are the only two from the litter (a boy & girl), Zola and Greco sound like them.

Honey and I were about to get a kitten when all these health things with me got worse, I don't have the stamina to bring a kitten into our home with all the other animals. So sad, I really wanted a new baby.

jaded said...

If I can't be immature on my own blog, then where? I took the high road yesterday when you were discussing goin' commando ;~)

Liv said...

Oh, yeah, but that last photo is dying to be capped:

I's on ur couch sexin' ur dog.

flutter said...

gorgeous kitties, Meno

Bob said...

I don't think I could list all of the cats we've had. (Our folder at the vet's is about an inch and a half thick.

meno said...

ttq, you know, i miss them all, but i have to say that some are just really really special in my heart. Just be patient, you will get a kitten sometime.

patches, oh yeah, that was me wasn't it. :D

liv, but aren't they cute? they were sleeping when i awoke them to smap this picture. You have a dirty mind. And that's a good thing.

flutter, thank you, i am a fool for the animal people.

bob, start looking through your old pictures, you'll be surprised.

Lynn said...

How wonderful that you remember not only the names but personalities about each of your cats. The kids and I want a cat, but DH insists that if we get a cat it needs to be able to go outside. Unfortunately, 'outside' means owls and coyotes. I'm thinking that we are doing cats favors by not having any in our house.

Schmoopie said...

As much as I love our dogs, I will always miss our kitties. Your pictures are adorable!

Sienna said...

Love'em, plain and simple, love cats, kittens!

Last 3 cats we have had, have been strays dumped at the vets, I walk in the door each time and this gorgeous little ball of fluff adopts me...

Love your cute and content cats, people like us are so good for this world, I love us too by hell.

I am a sucker for a tabby, although love siamese, burmese, tortoiseshell and whites and greys...I'll stop.

I teach all the dogs to respect the cats....no chasing or hurting cats here, (and the cats take advantage of that..:) )

Pam

Special K ~Toni said...

I am so proud of you for taking the high road! That is certainly a lot of cats!

Joan said...

Cute kitties. I'm not much of a cat person myself but I can sure recognize photos of beautiful kitties when I see them.

thailandchani said...

Now that last line just cracked me up! The high road... uh... yup :)


Peace,

~Chani

Dick said...

A nice post of good memories. We are still hoping that our three will learn to get along. It does get exciting at times around here.

Platypus said...

Lovely post. I have an indoor cat, a persian, who keeps me company and has been known to quack like a duck. Nils calls her the devil cat, which is mean, since she's so cute. She tells me she's working on a curse to sort him out though.

meno said...

lynn, yes, there is no need for you to be buying snack food for coyotes.

schmoopie, i love dogs too. We'll have to take yours hiking next time.

pam, if a cat has its claws still, it will teach a dog respect pretty fast. i too love their little fuzzy butts. Can't live without them.

toni, that is almost 50 years of cats. I ALWAYS take the high road!

joan, thank you. I think of cats as live art sometimes as they always appear to be posing.

chani, you know me, never a racy thought or comment!

dick, i hate to say this, but at best they will probably just tolerate each other. Which is good enough.

platyous, oooh, a persian. They are so pretty. Bad Nils, bad! No treat.

Mother of Invention said...

yes, high road for me too..I just love cats way more! You've knowna heap of nice cats. I've only had 6 and he one that left the biggest hole was an all black cat we had for 16 years, Soot. We've had 1 die in a garage fire and 2 on the road. Still, I'd rather have had and lost them than never knowing the joy these pets can bring you.

Is that pic of the kitten with the dog yours? very sweet!

meno said...

moi, one died in a fire? That's horrid. That is Alice with our dog that we had at the time, Tess.

Anonymous said...

You already read my post so you know I'm cat people thru and thru. I love my dogs too, very much, but cats...

The best part? I find that I own dogs that have breed personalities... wait for it... that are like cats. Give me spirit and independence and aloofness any day.

Anonymous said...

So nice to meet all your sweet pets. I feel a little sniffy, now.

amusing said...

Cats. Scary.

And look, you made sober briquette have an allergic reaction....

Mother of Invention said...

It was horrible losing a cat in a fire and I felt guilty letting him out at 3:00 a.m. we had a brooding lamp in the garage but I don't even think it was on...anyway damn squirrels chewing wires were the likely culprits. he was found in his little bed up in the rafters so smoke got him first. He was 9 and was our first cat, all black, called, Goblin.

Andrea Frazer said...

That makes me want to go get a cat right now. Ah, I miss my Snicker Doodles. Little drooler/snoorer that he was.

Mrs. Chili said...

I still see the ghost of Tao-Tao, who lost a race with a lumber truck some 7 years ago. He was an especially special one.

Cheesy said...

What sweet little weeones! I have to say that "leaving little soot roses on my covers with her feet" touched my heart,,, ty

Lisa :-] said...

Eliot...what a sweetie.

I have so many cat-shaped holes in my heart it's beginning to look like Swiss cheese.