I love cats! So does everyone else in this household. Even the dogs. I used to count them, now I don't. The house rule is, No cat in need of shelter and food will ever be turned away, not while I can earn money for vet care and catfood! Most of the cats you see here are indoor/outdoor go-as-they-please cats, very healthy and happy on our six-acre farm in the country, and spoiled rotten, as all kitties should be!
Phoebe - She is the senior among the dragon's cats. I think she was born around June or July of 1996. I found her in August of that year, tiny and flea-infested, trying to find something to eat around my garbage cans outside. Later, she was claimed by some neighbors of mine as their kids' cat, "Boots" but by then I had invested vet costs in her and wasn't willing to give her up. The neighbor backed off. Phoebe had two litters of kittens for me, and then I got her the lil operation that retired her from mothering!
Velcro - Phoebe's son from her first litter. I had a male manx cat, Bob, at the time and left Phoebe unaltered hoping the two of them would give me some little bobtail kittens. Phoebe had other ideas, however, and went out and found a boyfriend of her own choosing. I still managed to find homes for most of the kittens, but nobody claimed Velcro. It was their loss, as he is a very affectionate and loving kitty. Velcro is a solid black shorthair, who got his name because of his habit of jumping up on your chest and "sticking".
KitsyKat - Kitsy is a Ragdoll, and I believe him to be purebred but will never know the facts. My teenage son's girlfriend brought him to me one stormy night in a cold January, saying she had seen the kitten get hit by a car. He was the tiniest thing, and didn't appear to be hurt at all except for his tail, which dangled at a severe angle from about midway in it's length. I took him to the vet, who agreed that he was most likely a purebred Ragdoll, and did indeed have a broken tail. Rather than amputate it right away, the vet advised to wait a couple of weeks. I think he knew what would happen...the dead tissue beyond the break simply fell off one day. So Kitsy has half a tail, but a great personality and is a welcome member of the family.
Lucky 7 - So named because at the time he arrived, he was number 7 in the cat population around here. Lucky is a longhaired solid black cat, short bodied, and very lovable. He adopted us. We don't know where he came from, but he just showed up one day acting like he had always lived here. After a week's hospitality, I explained the "dragon's rules" to him for permanent residency...he must go to the vet and submit to a small operation....I gave him another week to think it over and when he did not leave, we made the appointment and got it done. He's been a great pet and the best bed-cat ever...knows his primary function is a foot-warmer and does an outstanding job!
Penny - Penny was originally named Penelope and was one of two cats that my oldest son and his new wife had in their first home, a rented house. When that house was sold and they had to move to a no-pets apartment, Penny came to live with me. She's a dark tortie, and loves her new mama dragon lots!
Mouse - Another kitty who came to me via one of my sons' girlfriends, who could no longer keep her. Mouse was so named because of her extreme timidness and her mousey coloring. I got her vet care up to date and got her spayed, but she rarely ventured out of a back room where she hid from the other cats. And they, knowing she was afraid, would terrorize her when she did come out. I ended up giving Mouse to my stepson and his girlfriend, where she got along better with a smaller cat population. I hear now that they have a new kitten that Mouse does not get along with, so she may be coming back. If so, I'll be trying to find her another home where there are no other cats.
Sunny - Oh my Sunny! He's definitely the star in this house. Sunny's full name is Sundance Trouble Teeter-Lander. He is a purebred Maine Coon Cat and his color is called Shaded Cameo. He was purchased by the love of my life, Dale, for me for Christmas 2002 and was a complete surprise. An even bigger surprise because I did not know about him or see him until January, as he was not old enough to leave his mama at Christmastime. I thought my only present was a breadmaker, and yeast had nothing on the volcano brewing in me...until this wonderful gift was revealed! His intended purpose was to be the anchor of a possible cattery business for me to operate and run. However, never underestimate the amount of attention needed by a Cooncat! Holy cow...I could not keep up with him, and when he reached sexual maturity, his behavior was so bad...that....yep, I took him to my vet for that lil operation. He's still very high-maintenance and is about as bad as a human toddler for curiousity and getting into trouble, but he's the most interesting cat I ever had. I'm afraid most of the pictures that will follow will show his dominance around here!
First Day:
Smoky Topaz - This little sweetie came to live with us in December, 2004. The big strong man of the house ventured into a pet store on his lunch hour, and immediately fell in love with her little gremlin face. She played with his hand and he forked over the rest of his lunch money for the next month to bring her home. She's due to go for her lil operation here very soon. Sunny thinks she is HIS property and is the most entertaining of all the cat toys around here. They are inseparable.
April 10, 2005 - Nest of Feral Kittens Discovered!
As if we didn't have a house full here, we found a nest of feral kittens on our property during a cleanup of hurricane-tossed debris. We couldn't leave them out in the open...too many predators around here like hawks! And, they were in the cows and geese' territory...and their mama, while watching from afar, could not be captured. So the bottle feeding began. I'd never done this before, but thanks to a lot of advice given by internet friends on various hobby boards that I visit, and a link to this wonderful Kitten Rescue site, I believe we have the hang of it! I'm devoting a separate page to the journal of their discovery and development, so go to my Feral Kitten page for more details!