I mention my cats in passing frequently, so I thought I’d dedicate a little more space to them this once. They do their best to keep my life interesting, each in their own way. This is a rare photo of all three of them together. It would have been convenient if they’d arranged themselves by age for the purpose of this post, but that wouldn’t be particularly cat-like.
Starting from the left, Diane is the oldest. She was adopted in 2009 when we suddenly found ourselves as a one-cat house, and that cat, Mungojerrie, was making it quite clear that it wasn’t acceptable. As I recall, he was actively looking for companions in the middle of the night, at volume that reminded us that our black cat was part Siamese. We stopped at a local pet store – the general pet stores near us partner with shelters in the area – and Diane called out for our attention. I do mean that literally, she meowed at us as from her enclosure. It wasn’t long before she and Mungo were happily curled up together. She is the largest cat in the house, mainly noticeable when she decides to walk on me. Twelve pounds isn’t a lot to pick up; it’s fairly significant when distributed across a paw or two when you’re lying in bed. Fortunately, she usually prefers to lay beside me.
In the middle is Arwen, our toe-biting, counter-climbing kitten. (Technically, at almost two, she’s no longer a kitten. But I don’t think she’s realized that.) Diane still hisses at her sometimes, which makes this photo all the rarer – Arwen had to wait until Diane was settled before coming near her on the sofa. Arwen attacks toes (at least, mine) a little less than when she first moved in, but climbs on everything and anything, especially if she thinks there’s food available. Because of her, my kitchen cabinets now have child locks, and she ends up banished to a bedroom while we’re eating.
Delusional cat trying to steal from my plate. She’s locked up again.
When I serve them canned food, it’s a constant battle of keeping her off the counter while I scoop it into their bowls. Diane assists me sometimes, poised with one paw in the air, ready to swat at Arwen when I push her off the counter. Arwen makes up for it by curling up on my arm at night and purring me to sleep.
The rightmost cat is June, the mom cat of the family. When we adopted her, she was just over a year, and two of her kittens were available for adoption as well. She will bathe any other cat that’s available, and any people who let her. (No, thank you!) She used to be amazingly skittish, bolting whenever a cabinet closed too loudly or somebody went in or out of the house. She rarely flees now, though she is still the best at “it’s time for the vet hide-and-seek”. On any given day, she curls up with one of the other cats, waking up occasionally to bathe them. On cold nights, she likes sleeping under the covers, though she never stays the whole night. She doubles as an alarm clock, making sure I’m awake to feed them breakfast at an unreasonable hour.