Bathroom Buddy

Cleo and I have a morning ritual. I get up and stretch and so does Cleo. Then she follows me into the bathroom where we spend some quality time.

Sometimes, as shown in the photo, above, I have to explain that I need to trade places with her.

Bill's Cats

When we adopted Arnold and Cleo, it was curious to note how similar they were to Bill's cats named Harry and Cleo:

Crows Nest

After we adopted Arnold and Cleo, we had 3 cats in the house with claws. In hopes of avoiding more furniture shredding, I purchased a "crows nest" climbing structure for them. All 3 like to look out the window or snooze in one of the levels. So far, I see little or no scratching on furniture (except for Fervor who had already developed the habit). This photo shows both Fervor and Arnold enjoying it at the same time.

Introducing Arnold

Along with Cleo, we adopted Arnold on April 20, 2008. Arnold is "some cat" (recall "Charlotte's Web"). His personality is precious. When he comes into the room he says, "Hi!" with a funny little semi-silent meow. He walks up to you and looks straight up at you and it makes you laugh. You give him a little pat on the head and he goes about his business. He sleeps with us most nights and helps us get up early by becoming active and vocal at sunrise!

Fervor pays little attention to him and they even seem to play together a bit. I think a good part of it owes to Arnold's good "self image". He does not (any longer) hiss or growl at Fervor.

Introducing Cleo

We adopted Cleo, along with Arnold, on April 20, 2008. She is about 8 years old although she seems much younger. She only weighs 9 lbs. Cleo is sweet and delightful and follows us around like a dog. She is quite affectionate. Unfortunately she is a bit shy and that may account for the occasional confrontations with Fervor. I think Fervor would just like to get to know her but Cleo does not allow him in her “personal space”.

Introducing Fervor

Fervor was rescued from an animal shelter by Martha when he was a kitten. He is about 6 years old. Fervor is a hoot. He plays with toys and sometimes runs through the house at breakneck speed (at such times Dick calls him "bullet"). While he is quite social and even tolerates being cradled like a baby, he keeps to himself a great deal.

Fervor had a run-in with a closing door in November 2006 and lost a couple inches off his tail. Recovery must have been somewhat painful and we thought his personality had changed for the worse but, given enough healing time, he got back to his old goofy self.

Remembering Savannah

Savannah was put down on Monday. She was only eight years old but was genetically predisposed to being obese which undoubtedly contributed to her health issues. She was so big she was not able to clean herself which led to urinary tract infections. Since last October her left rear leg was mostly unusable which prevented her from using a litter box.

Savannah came to us as a kitten and seemed unique from the start. She was quite the character. Once I was stripping wallpaper on a wall at ceiling level when all of a sudden Savannah jumped up to grab a loose piece of paper. I had not noticed her climbing up the ladder behind me. She used to lick Peggy’s ears and lips in bed so Peggy had to envelope herself in the sheets like a burka.

Although she was Martha’s cat, she loved to help Peggy with quilting or knitting. She also loved a foot massage. That is she loved to be foot-petted by Peggy with her shoes off. Peggy called her a “footy cat”.

While she could be very lovey-dovey, she had a snarly side too. One time when Martha took her to the vet he complained that she was vicious and wouldn't examine her unless she was sedated. When Amy came to visit with her Labrador, Nina, Savannah cornered the dog in a bedroom and wouldn't let her out. Even after she had only three working legs, she still totally intimidated Nina.

Savannah had the most beautiful coloring and facial features. She was probably the prettiest cat I ever shared a house with. We will treasure the good times we had with her.