I have four cats, Smoke, Puff, Callie, and Salem. When people hear the names of my older two cats, I often get the question “What do you smoke?” The answer is, “I don’t.” I am allergic to smoke. Exposure to a little bit isn’t bad. Too much exposure gives me bronchitis, and can lead to pneumonia and pleurisy. Yay.
Smoke was born in the Winter of 1995. She was rescued by some friends of mine while they were fishing. A car drove over a bridge as the driver threw a bag into the water. The bag held seven kittens. Smoke was the
only one to survive. Smoke is a tortoiseshell calico. She has lovely emerald green eyes. I lived in an apartment in a city of about 100,000 people. I don’t like cities. So when my best friends invited me to move onto their country property, I did. I’ve been here ever since, and so has Smoke. Smoke had two litters of kittens before we got her surgery done. Some of her kittens stayed here; some were found good homes. Smoke is a hunter. She loves to catch mice, baby rabbits, voles, moles, grasshoppers, and more. She even caught a small bird once or twice. She is starting to show her age. She’s more bony, less muscular. She is starting to have difficulty jumping up on my bed. She pulls herself up instead. She’s still fiery when confronted by a strange dog. She prefers to fight rather than run. She once left a nasty cut on the nose of a Doberman that cornered her on the porch rail. Smoke and my dog, Freya, are my old ladies. Freya was born the Spring of 1996. Puff is a huge gray cat. He’s typically quiet.
Puff was born at the neighbor’s house in the Spring of 2000. He is heavy, but not overweight. He loves to hunt field mice. Once when I was doing an interview, the camera lady’s mouth dropped open suddenly. I looked where she was looking only to see Puff with a large mouse in his mouth. He ran under the house with three other cats in tow. When Puff was younger, he tried to catch birds. He even caught a full-grown rabbit once. I was quite impressed. Puff also has green eyes. He loves to put his feet up on my lap while I’m typing. He does this when he wants me to lift him into my arms. I put him on my shoulder so that his back feet are on my belly. Then, I rub him up one side and down the other at the same time. He loves this so much that he curls his toes and purrs deeply. If I allow it, he’ll fall asleep in my arms. Usually, I put him down after a few minutes and go back to writing.
Callie and Salem are litter-mates. (I don’t have photos of them to share, yet.) Callie is a tri-color calico with a bottle brush tail and long fur. She loves to wrestle with her brother. She also loves to give the other animal kitty kisses. When she was younger, Thor would groom her. Over time, Thor gave Callie dreadlocks. Then one day, the dreads were gone. Thor had groomed them off. She has been dread free ever since. Callie loves to hunt bugs more than anything else. She also loves the climb the door when she wants to be let in. None of the other cats have done that before. That action is strictly Callie’s. She also hates to be picked up. She tolerates being petted occasionally. She has a gentle meow.
Salem is my black cat. He loves to pounce Callie when she’s not expecting it. He loves to catch almost anything that moves. Salem enjoys being petted. When he wants down, he wants down NOW! Salem prefers to sleep outside at night, unless it’s very cold. He has a very quiet meow. He loves to sleep near Thor whenever they are both inside. He also loves to give Thor kitty kisses whenever Thor grooms Salem. Salem enjoys going out into the woods. I saw him once trying to catch minnows. He was fun to watch. As with many other people out there, my cats are part of my family. They make my life fuller and brighter. Do you have any cat stories to share?
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