Are You A Cat Person?

There are currently three felines in my life.

I've told many stories in this blog about my feline loves. But I never get tired of talking about my furry friends.

First there's Mr. Kitty, also known as the Kittyman. He's a white cat with gray markings. He joined our family as a kitten, in 2001. Tiny little fluff ball back then, he's a bit larger now, like 25 pounds or so. He doesn't walk, he waddles. He equates food with love, and he needs a lot of both. How many cats do you know who will beg for tables scraps like a dog?




Mr. Kitty holds court from the center cushion of the couch, and if you choose to sit beside him, be forewarned that you are in the "pet me" seat.

I like to say that Mr. Kitty is a self- rescued cat. There's a pond about half a mile down the road where people dump unwanted cats and kittens. I've seen a few cats there that are clearly the Kittyman's relatives, so I am certain he was dumped. Somehow he wandered up to our house, where three cats were then in residence. When we first saw him, we mistook him for our cat Daisy, who had similar markings. My mother said three cats were more than enough, she didn't want a fourth...but somehow he stayed.

This is what Daisy looked like. See the resemblance?




Then, of course, there's Redford. He's a ginger cat, orange with white. I'm sure he's at least part Manx, he has very powerful hind legs, and a short, flat, bobbed tail - hence the name Bob Redford.



It was the winter of 2011. By then, Mr. Kitty and Daisy were our only cats, Maggie and Felix having crossed the rainbow bridge. It was a bitter winter, lots of snow. My sister found an orange cat crying under our neighbor's window. A full-grown Tom, between 2 and 4 years old. Of course she took him into our house and fed him. Once you feed them, they're yours.

When Daisy was still around, she ruled the house with an iron paw. We lost her in the fall of 2011. The relationship between the boys changed after she was gone.

These days they play together, they groom each other, they wrestle. Mr. Kitty is the alpha male, but Redford manages to hold his own.

My newest feline love is Drew's cat Duchess. Drew and I went to the animal shelter last year and chose the cutest gray kitten...she's grown into an aristocratic but energetic young cat. When they say "Dogs have owners, cats have staff", they're talking about Duchess. She will supervise when you prepare her dinner, watching carefully as you fill her bowl.





She surveys her realm from above, as you can see. She's affectionate with her people, when she wants to be, and quick to bat you with her paw when she doesn't want to be bothered.

She marks me as her own, rubbing against my legs, when she knows I'm about to go home to my other loves.

So yes, I can certainly say I'm a cat person.

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