Reply #32: Six cats, and the ghost of TommyCat, departed February 16, 2009 [View All]

[Flaxbee]

All are strays (Clarisse was the only one adopted out of a shelter). So ages are estimates, except for the kittens who MommaKitty brought to us when they were probably a month old.

Love them all so much :loveya: :loveya:

Elder of the Household: Clarisse, probably 12-13 years old. A cantankerous mostly white calico with calico ears, tail, and a big ole' splotch on one side. Also has persistent pupillary membrane (PPM is a condition of the eye involving remnants of a fetal membrane that persist as strands of tissue crossing the pupil). She has problems seeing, poor sweet girl. She's fierce, and has only recently begun to mellow. Loves loves LOVES my husband. She's one of the reasons we went on a second date -- Clarisse just went nuts over him when they first met, so I figured if he passed the Clarisse test (she hates most everyone) it was a good sign.

Ivan: Enormous male tuxedo, beautiful cat. Probably 6 or so. Mostly snuggly, but can get pissed off and bite/scratch (though he usually warns you, and if you persist f*cking with him, you're gonna get it). Walks like a lion. Is the only male since Tommy left, and takes his protection duties seriously. Saves kittens from trees. Comes to you when you whistle for him. I can give him whatever meds he might be prescribed so easily; the girls are terrors when it comes to pills. Big ole' lug.

Novi (aka MommaKitty): Tortoiseshell with the most incredible purr, a very very affectionate cat. Probably 5.5 years old; she was very young when she brought us her girls (first litter, the vet thought) so she's probably no more than a year older than her daughters. She brought us her three girls in May 2005. She is the sweetest cat in the world, and would love nothing more than to sit in your lap and purr all day. Demanding when she wants attention. Spayed her and her girls, and kept them all (despite a few very half-hearted attempts to find them homes - I was never satisfied with the people around here who asked to adopt). Ivan loves Novi, but is passionate about Marilyn. :)

The following three are all Novi's daughters (Marilyn (Monroe); Hedy (Lamarr) and Ingrid (Bergman):

Marilyn (aka Bimbo): 4.5 years old, a long-haired orange/blonde tabby goddess, part Maine Coon. Has the corona of fur around her head, furry toes, feathered tail, of a MC. Big cat. Looks nothing like her mother, seems to be the fraternal twin of her sister Hedy who is silver, not orange, but the exact same body, fur, etc. Bimbo is fearless, and will NOT take "no" for an answer. Ivan is in love with her; they are frequently together, he usually grooms her while she looks pleased with herself. She is a hoot. Obsessed with water. She flirts. She is a bimbo, in the best sense of the word - giggly, happy, and just not worried.

Hedy (aka Silver): 4.5 years old, a long-haired silver tabby, part Maine Coon, very big. Same corona of fur around her head, furry feets, feathery tail as her sister. Their faces are a bit different, but their body structure, etc., are identical. Looks like a silver and gold version of the same cat; I really do wonder if they are twins. Silver is the SWEETEST creature on earth, and talks a LOT (but only if you respond; she doesn't talk to talk, she talks to converse). Doesn't like Ivan's overtures. Makes sure I don't drown in the shower.

Ingrid (aka Hedy aka MiniMe): 4.5 years old, same body shape as her mother, nothing like her two sisters. Orange tabby with white bib and feet. Smallest of all the cats, and very skittish and scaredy, poor girl. But will sneak up on you and sit in your lap and purr up a storm if she feels safe. She doesn't go out anymore (the only two who do during the day are Novi and Ivan) but when she did, she was an incredibly fearless hunter - she's not afraid of other creatures, only humans. And I don't know why, we're her only exposure (aside from the vet and the cat sitter); she's just been scared her whole life. But when she was hunting, she'd bring home water rats about 3/4 the size of her own body. Tough but shy girl.


And then we lost our beloved TommyCat last February. He was my husband's before we met, but Tommy became my baby. We just clicked. I miss him so much; he had total, complete control and authority over the entire cat (and human, to be honest) population; even in his last days when he was down to 5 lbs or so, Ivan respected him. He was 17 when he died, an orange male tabby with white bib and feet (he's why we call Inga "MiniMe" - she looks a lot like him).