Cats

I love cats, and I have since I was a little girl. Someday I'll put up a copy of the first "book" I ever wrote, The Complete Cat Book, which I wrote for an assigment in 4th grade. It was handwritten, with illustrations and special effects, and bound in blue construction paper. It still exists, in my parent's house in Indy.

Right now, I'm the "parent" of one cat, my Gryphon. Unfortunately, not only does Gryphon not travel well, but he's also far too social to live with my go-go-go lifestyle out here in Cali. He's living happily now back in Indiana with Mom and her other 7 cats. Here's a picture of Gryphon and Cymba, with Pippin in the background. In case you're interested, here's the list of descriptions of them:

• Gryphon

  - Dark brown tabby, very silky, with a trilling miaow. Gryphon lived with me and Kellie and her cat, Chloe (small silver tabby, nicknamed "bitchy kitty") in Franklin. I miss my Griffy more than I'd like to admit!

• Gray Lady

  - Silver tabby with white. At 20 years old, we forgive her for being cranky. She's also the only cat still left that was mentioned in The Complete Cat Book

• Mittens

  - Black and white bi-color. Nicknamed "perro" (dog in Spanish) by my friend, Renee, he's a HUGE cat, and the self-appointed king of the household.

• Cymbeline

  - Tiny little thing, this cream tabby was rescued from my Grandmother's farm (along with Pippin and Portia) a few years ago to be a girlfriend for Gryphon. I should post my mother's updates on cat social life; the latest is that "Gryphon and Cymba are friends again". This after a long estrangement.
  • Mom's Comments: Cymba: Since I am so strongly opposed to letting cats breed (after my traumatic trip to the pound in June of 92 and seeing all the mothers with their litters) I question using the word "girlfriend" with regard to Cymba and Gryphon. It implies for breeding purposes.

• Pippin

  - VERY lovey cat, this heavy (as in dense, not fat) cream tabby tom cat doesn't seem to mind the dominant male personalities of Mittens and (on occasion), Gryphon. Spooks easily, which is cute unless he's sitting on you at the time.
  • Mom's Comments: Pippen: What's neat about him is that he never had a human hand touch him until he was 8 months old and he is the most loving cat. This shoots my theory that you have to nurture the baby kittens with loving human touches to make them good pets.

• Portia

  - Mama to Pippin and Cymba, this sweet dark tortie has a sleek coat and an amiable personality. She's very affectionate, but not as demanding as most of the rest.
  • Mom's Comments: Portia: She considers her new home with us her retirement home (or maybe heaven) after her cold outside years on the Illinois prairie producing litter after litter.

• Jenny-Any-Dots

  - The wicked witch of the household, this misunderstood calico is in a constant bad mood because of personal health issues. Old and cranky, she's the victim of many practical jokes by the younger set (Gryphon, Pippin, Portia and Cymba).
  • Mom's Comments: Jenny: Not so much personal health issues as just plain JEALOUSY. She would make a good cat for a single cat household! She does not make cat friends. Pippen no longer sleeps with me because Jenny stations herself on top of me for most of the night and if any other feline gets close, she whaps them. Charmin and Portia do dare to sleep near my feet and sometimes Cymba will snuggle down between Daddy and me if she is cold.

• Charmin

  - A newcomer to mom's cat harem, this soft (yes, squeezably soft) white cat has patches of brown tabby, giving him a rather unique look. Another sweety, Charmin makes a great lap cat, especially at the dinner table!
  • Mom's Comments: Charmin: The instigator....he gets them all running around...he's the organizer of the games! He and Cymba especially love to run and chase each other....great fun to watch ...except that this morning from 4:30 to 6 am. they were playing in some crinkly loud paper bags in the bedroom and he evidently was chewing (playfully, of course) on her as she kept crying her pitiful little mews which kept me awake. He also loves to lie in wait for Jenny (one of only two who are allowed outdoors) She will be meowing outside the door to be let in, and he goes and hides around the corner and waits until I let her in, and then as soon as she sets foot in the house, he attacks and chases her across the room!

• Jasmine

  - David's kitty. She's a brown tabby with white markings and quite a little temper. She loves affection, but every so often will get this look in her eye and then, *pounce*! your hand becomes a target. She's especially difficult with David, so he keeps ribbon around to distract her with. You can get her jumping and pouncing quite high and she's incredibly cute when she does.

Links

• Shopcat.com - Dedicated to cats that work in shops, hotels and stores everywhere!

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