Thursday, May 19, 2011

my three cats

Where else can I sing praises to my cats and not be made fun of? 

I am privileged to share my life with three of the most interesting, entertaining cats on the planet.  I'm not talking You-Tube or America's Funniest Home Video entertaining.  I'm talking about three unique individuals that melt my heart several times each day.

Winky came to us through one of Eric's classmates, Winston, in the fall of 2007.  Winston's mom has a habit of rescuing all types of creatures, and Winky's pregnant mom was one of those lucky critters.  Winston's family named the kitten Winky because he opened one eye and didn't open his other eye for a day or two.  Ta Da...Winky.  It fit.  We have several names for him...Jabba the Kitty Hut, Sir Winksalot, Love Bug.  He is a big sweetie and the most accomplished hunter.  Just this morning I opened the front door to find a rat, laid out in trophy perfection, on the porch.  Thanks, Winky!  Winky is a long-haired orange tabby.  Beautiful boy with an annoying, raspy meow.  Very persistant when he wants milk.  Or attention.  Or thinks you should be paying attention to him and him alone. 

Oreo is, as  you might guess,a black  & white beauty.  We adopted him from Town Lake Animal Center in the fall of 2008.  His foster name was Cap'n Planet and he is certainly spacey enough to fill that bill. He is a big, long-haired cat with the tiniest meow you've ever heard.  He has never lost that wide-eyed kitten look.  He is a sweet, sweet boy and I love him dearly.  Sometimes I wake up and he is laying square on my chest.  I wake up because I'm having trouble breathing.  15 pounds of big furry cat on  your chest will do that. His favorite water source is the kitchen sink.  He jumps up and waits for me to turn on the faucet.  I'm sure this would not pass the KVUE clean kitchen test.

Daisy is my girl.  I haven't had a female cat in years and years - decades upon decades, actually, because the ones I had were f-in crazy.  Daisy is crazy too, but in a kinder, gentler way.  So far.  She was so little when we adopted her from Town Lake Animal Center in fall 2008 that we had to wait to bring her home. She didn't weigh enough for them to administer anesthetic so she could be spayed.  We were finally able to work that out with staff...and brought our bundle of girly joy home.  Since she is a white and orange tabby cat, my first thought was to name her Peaches.  Eric told me to name her Daisy (based on the Mario Bros game - Peaches wears pink and I am not a pink fan...)anyway.  The name was chosen and it is perfect.  We call her Daisy Mae Magpie.  She steals shiny things.  Keys, earrings, coins.  She is affectionate on her own terms.  She also plays fetch with those little furry mice.  She will swat them all over the living room and then jump up on the arm of the couch and drop a little furry pink, blue etc "mouse" in my lap.  I throw it, she swats it around, brings it back and we repeat the process. 

I have been blessed with many wonderful feline companions in my life.  These are the three with which the universe has chosen to bless me at this moment.  I cherish them as the individuals they are, for the love and friendship they provide.