Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #28 -- The Feline File


Thirteen Things about
THE BEST CATS ALIVE
in the humble opinion of
THE GAL HERSELF

Meet the cats that share my home. Or, more precisely, that allow me to share their home. All three are shelter babies and are healthy, adorable, and as different in temperament as you can imagine. These fab felines are the best endorsement for adopting from your local humane society.

1. JOEY: Enormous gray and white tomcat. Age: 10 (best guestimate). Named after Joey Tribiani from Friends, which was a good choice because he is so open and warm.

2. Joey loves all people everywhere. Especially children. For a cat so large, he is amazingly gentle and literally wouldn’t hurt a fly. (I’m not kidding – I’ve see him ignore flies.) I find it very comforting when Joey has a “love jones” and can’t get close enough to me, and presses his warm bod hard against me. This is especially nice if I’m not feeling well.

3. He powernaps. No one has ever appreciated the rejuvenating power of sleep more than old Joe. When he’s asleep, he looks like he’s smiling and is so cute he breaks my heart.

4. He doesn’t meow, he gargles. Joey is not much of a talker. The only time he meows is when he’s also purring and it’s a very strange sound that comes from his throat.

5. CHARLOTTE: tiny white and brown girly-girl. Age: 10, as near as we can tell. I got her sight unseen in 2001, after a fire at the animal shelter. Her paperwork got lost in the chaos, so her past is shrouded in mystery.

6. Charlotte has no tail, but she’s not a Manx. Judging by the way her “stub” healed, the vet supposes she lost it when she was very young, possibly in a refrigerator or car door.

7. She knows she’s a babe. Charlotte is forever grooming, and when she wiggles that unfortunate little stub, and you can tell she thinks she’s wagging her tail in a saucy manner. That’s why it’s so incongruous that she snores like she’s sawing wood. Very unladylike!

8. She’s emphatic about her likes and dislikes. Likes: spending quality time with me while I’m putting on makeup; shedding on fresh laundry; a clean litter box. (There’s a spot on the hallway carpet that gets punished if the box isn’t to her specifications.) Dislikes: Joey, for reasons all her own resents his very existence and hits him whenever he walks by.

9. REYNALDO: 3-year-old skinny beige whirling dervish. If the Tasmanian Devil was a tomcat, he’d be Rey-Rey.

10. Reynaldo is a thrill junkie. Nothing frightens or displeases him. Life is all a game to Rey. If he takes a running leap onto the window air conditioner, thereby endangering his life because we live on the fourth floor, and I spank him, it’s the cool game where I yell at him and spank him. Let’s do it again! If he won’t stop howling and I spritz him with water, it’s the cool game where I yell at him and spritz him with water. You get the idea. It’s exasperating. There’s a plus side: he’s the only cat I’ve ever known who thinks of nail clipping as a delightful diversion.

11. He’s very gentle. I cannot imagine him ever biting anyone. Because nothing frightens or displeases him, he’s great with kids. It didn’t bother Rey at all when my neighbor’s son would drag him down the hall by his tail. The kid's mom and I were horrified, but not Rey. To him, it was all part of their game.

12. He has cat charisma. Both Joey and Charlotte adore him. He and Joe play rough and tumble games together, and he and Charlotte groom one another. (Though Charlotte quickly gets impatient with him when he starts to bite or chase her; Miss Thing is not into undignified, childish behavior.)

13. Rey can’t get enough sugar. Doesn’t matter what he’s doing: sleeping, eating, playing, or monitoring the activity of squirrels and birds. He’ll interrupt anything for a head scratch or a snuggle. If I’m not paying enough attention to him, he’ll dive bomb down on me from above. It’s an effective maneuver.

These cats were adopted from two of the many local humane societies listed on Petfinder.com. Before you buy a dog or cat from a breeder, stop by Petfinder and see if you can’t find the perfect companion there at a shelter in your neighborhood.


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. Amy remembers her college days at Union Univ
2. Nicole Austin takes us along as she shops for school supplies
3. Pussreboots has a photographic TT
4. Suprina shares her school supply shopping list -- & it scary!
5. eht (Elementary History Teacher) lists new education blogs
6. Still in the mood for more fab felines? Visit Thomma Lyn's TT
7. Susan Helene defines the true Shapeshiftere fan
8. Comedy Plus shares pearls of wisdom
9. Sue takes a nostalgic look back at Honest Ed's, a Toronto favorite
1o. Friday's Child shares quotations she has found to be true
11. Lori must be a fly on the wall at my workplace, because her 13 snappy retorts would work well here!
12. Lori's Light Extemporanea is a tasty visit to her mom's kitchen
13. Week two of Jenny's vacation!
14. L^2 has an evocative TT of morning sounds
15. Damozel enlightens us about the political scandals of the past
16. Harlekwin goes banner crazy, and they're gorgeous!
17. Fence answers the important questions :)
18. Sparky Duck tempts us off our diets with a TT about fast food restaurants
19. Clubbs takes us eavesdropping on the wee ones at the beach
20. Robin's TT is the "Robin Wants" Google Game, always fun
21. Go check out Nicholas' sock drawer. I dare you!
22. Callista gets it all off her chest (a most healthy thing to do)
23. Marina explains about moving from CA to TX.
24. Impworks names his fictional characters from his spam folder
25. Boliyou lists 13 little-known that she owns and watches often
26. Guusejem spent the some not achieving these 13 goals


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


31 comments:

  1. arent they fun? thanks for letting us get to know them!

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  2. Anonymous5:51 PM

    Sounds like you're a proud mama! I have two pound kitties. One is a total lap cat. The other is very independent, unless the vacuum is brought into the house, then he wants to be comforted.

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  3. Caligula the cat is an adoptee. Happy TT.

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  4. I love cats! I only have one. And I think that is all my husband is going to allow!

    Great TT!

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  5. Cats are cool!

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  6. Anonymous6:07 PM

    Ha! Do great minds think alike, or what? ;-D I, too, did a T13 about my four cats, all of them rescues! I so agree with you about adopting shelter kitties. There are so many, many precious kitties who need homes. Ours showed up as strays -- they all came to us, isn't that something. :-)

    Thank you for sharing your precious kitties with us! Joey sounds adorable and I laughed out loud at the idea of a kitty who gargles instead of meows! I have a little black kitty who squeaks instead of meowing. And cute that your Charlotte is a girly girl -- I, too, have a girly girl kitty named Marilyn MonREOW -- she's a stunner and she knows it, too. And your description of Rey made me think of Chairman Mao, my spazzy little snowshoe Siamese kitty! And like your Joey, my big kitty girl Brainball is enormous -- she is 9 years old and weighs almost 20 pounds.

    Oh, it's it a joy to talk about our kitties! Thanks for making me smile. :)

    Happy TT!

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  7. My cats are rescue cats, also. I wouldn't have it any other way (although mine came from the vet clinic where my sister was working at the time).

    Happy TT and kiss the furballs for me!

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  8. That was downright fun. What a clever idea too. Looks like three cats are very lucky you saved them. Have a great TT. :)

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  9. Coolio! Our three girls are all rescues too! Thanks for stopping by, and telling us a bit about your fur babies ... :)

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  10. Anonymous7:48 PM

    All of our cats (past and present) have come from the humane society, except for the one that was actually a stray. Can't think of a better way to get them than rescue!

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  11. My my my! 3 cats in your home? You must love all of them.
    My T13 is up too.

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  12. Wow, dont I wish I was a cat person...I think Id be jealous:)

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  13. Pictures! Where are the pictures?

    We got our 2 "demon dogs" from Petfinders. Not Petfinders' fault, the dogs were just unsocializable but it was an interesting way to find them.

    Our cat rode to our church in the engine of our friends' car. How's that for a great story! We love him to death and his name is Aragorn.

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  14. Great plug for the Humane society, our local one is having a 2 for 1 special this month b/c of the increase of cats. Almost tempted, ours aren't as lovey as yours! My first couldn't be closer to me, man, I miss her. These two are head cases, but aren't they all in their own way?
    Love the descriptions of your cat!

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  15. Thank you for introducing us to your gang; they sound adorable - and Shelter Babies every one! They really make a home, don't they? Happy Thursday :)
    DK

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  16. It sounds like you have quite a fun bunch of kitties.
    I don't have any cats now (I'm kind of allergic to them), but all of my family's cats were always rescues too.
    And when I was a kid we had a cat that would sort of squeak instead of meow (he was a huge cat too) - it was hilarious to hear that strange little noise coming from a big tomcat.

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  17. Anonymous11:27 PM

    What no photos? I love teh kittehs. Yours sound like good ones, but they are the SECOND best cats in the world (we've got the best). But poor little Charlotte! Her tail!

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  18. Our four cats were all stray kittens, all unplanned adoptions, and the older three were all from one litter. I love cats because they are all totally unique. Even my 4 year old siblings are nothing alike, physically or otherwise. Thanks for promoting adoption.

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  19. With a mom like you, they could only be wonderful. I recall hearing that our animal's personalities reflect our own.

    I enjoyed getting to know your fabulous feline friends! Thank you for sharing them with us.

    Happy TT!!

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  20. They sound like great cats. Happy T13

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  21. a fantastic list. all the cats in our family are rescues, either from shelters, organizations, or just showing up at the front door on a cold day. Shelter cats adore the love they get so they are so grateful.

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  22. I wish we could adopt a cat, but my wife's allergies prevent it.

    We plan to adopt a dog someday when we have a better yard for one.

    Great list!

    Click here for my blog

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  23. Anonymous11:12 AM

    Well, we have three cats that allow us to live with them, and I expect they'd claim to be the best ones ever, but I know how attached one can get to felines.

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  24. I'm allergic, but your cats sound fun to have in your life.

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  25. That was great, thanks for sharing! I love how you told their stories. My T13 is here: http://callistasramblings.blogspot.com/2007/08/thursday-thirteen-7-stresses.html

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  26. These are great descriptions of your cats! All 4 of mine are ferals/strays, and they have such fun personalities. Hope your Thursday's going great!

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  27. When I saw the top of your post I thought 13 cats how do they cope? So it was a relief to discover that it wasn't quite that many. They sound like nice pets :-)

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  28. oh, lovely TT - both my girls Gertie and Gracie were adopted via an Australian service called catmatch. Gertie a stray that we thought was about 8 weeks old - try 6 months! And Gracie dumped at a local vet clinic at about 4 weeks. Gertie's my Kamikaze divebomber - loves to climb the curtains in my bedroom and then launch herself at my sleeping form - frightens the heebees out of me!

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  29. We have 5 Unique Kitty Personalities too - all of whom found us - and we are glad they did!

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  30. Great fun learning about your kitties.

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  31. Awwww....they sound like a fabulous crew!

    Well..it sounds like Charlotte *could* be a manx...it sounds like she shares some of Sushi's 'traits' - including that spot in front of the kitty box sometimes!

    I used to have an 'ol tom named George who sounds a bit like your Joey, too...

    Thanks for the introductions!

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