When Spot and I first met, he had ridiculously enormous ears (like so)! He's probably 7 or 8 months old in this photo. His face was starting to look like a grown-up cat's, but his ears were still huge.
Almost five years later, he's become a big, brawny fellow with perfect proportions. I think he's just the handsomest cat ever!
The Spots are looking so, so mad after what I put them through this morning. Dr Marohn (our house call vet) came by and microchipped all three cats. The gray brothers were actually reasonably cooperative. Of course, they've been giving me dirty looks ever since. Blame it on Mr T, you guys! He gave me the idea.
Max was the opposite. He squealed and squirmed and HOWLED when the microchip went in - then he forgot all about it and wanted to help Dr Marohn with her paperwork.
Before she left, Dr Marohn told me a sad story along the lines of Michael's recent blog post. A client of hers could no longer keep his 7 and 9 year old cats because one of his kids became life-threateningly allergic. He couldn't find homes for them because of their age, and didn't think they'd have any better luck at a shelter. Rather than subjecting them to a miserable wait before being put to sleep, he called Dr Marohn to have them enthanized at home.
Dr Marohn said she couldn't do it. Instead, she offered to adopt the cats - even though she already had 2 cats (not to mention 2 dogs and 2 kids) and her husband is allergic. Another home materialized at the last minute for one of the cats, Dr Marohn took in the other, a little Siamese who became part of the family in no time. Isn't that cool?
A few weeks ago, I realized the Spots are looking more and more like elephants. At their last check-up, Dr Marohn (from At Home Animal Care) said they're her biggest cat patients!
So we've been playing "chase the flying toy" twice a day. At first the gray beasts considered my feline fitness program a spectator sport. They sat around and watched while Max zoomed across the room.
But they're starting to want in on the action.
And yesterday I noticed that Spot is looking a little less round. They've still got a long way to go, though. Check out how thin they were when they were younger.
Mr T. complained that when Oliver stretches out on the sofa, there's no room left for him and Mrs T to sit.
Spot doesn't hog the couch, but he insists this chair is his alone. He won't share it with me or his brothers, but his catnip banana gets VIP treatment.
Here are the Spots as kittens.
And here's a kitten named Spots! Like Rico, he's a shelter cat too. I found him cowering at the back of his cage. I wasn't sure he'd like me pet him, but when I reached in, he purred big time! Apparently he's much braver than my big gray scaredy cats.
I love his pink nose. And his stripy orange tail. But his worried looking face made me sad. Hang in there, Spots! You'll be home soon!
Max walked up to Spot and started grooming him. Spot reciprocated with a couple of licks. Then they spent a few seconds wrestling. The beginning of a friendship, I hope?
By the way, check out Spot's tail. As I learned in grade school ink drawing class, it has the exact consistency of a perfect calligraphy brush. No matter how many times you squish the tip, the soft hairs spring right back to form a sharp point. Unfortunately Spot is too heavy to write with. Coincidentally, Max's markings slightly resemble the ink smudges on my uniform after calligraphy lessons :)
This photo on Working Class Cats made me wonder what the Spots are doing at a bookstore. They are decidedly anti-literate; there are few things they find more objectionable than people with books.
But these guys are not my Spots. They are residents cats at Bookman, a store in Colorado Springs. The mere thought of being surrounded by book readers wore the Spots out; time for another nap!
He's grown from a super adorable kitten to a big cuddly cat, as sweet as he is handsome. He didn't seem to mind being a middle child, sandwiched between demanding Sara and scaredy-cat Spot. I felt guilty for loving him least, but rationalized that he's the most self sufficient of the three.
The week after Sara died, he started moving in on the territory she left behind, napping on her favorite closet shelf by day and curling up on her corner of the bed at night. It was his turn to be #1 cat! I obliged by giving him more snuggle time.
Then came Thanksgiving. He got MAD when I went away for a long weekend - and brought Max home from the shelter the day after I came back. He sulked and hissed and peed on the bed - none of which had ever happened before. Poor baby :(
He and Max are getting along pretty well now, but my upcoming Taipei trip will no doubt upset him. He gave me such baleful looks while I shopped for tickets, as if he knew. I've been trying to give him lots more attention, telling him he's a wonderful kitty. 'Cause he is!
In spite of the Spots' not-too-friendly looks, they're getting along better now. The big cats barely twitch their tails when Max zips by, much less bother to hiss. Max was even able to plant a quick kiss on Not Spot's forehead this morning :)
You know that Hans Christian Andersen story about the princess who could feel a single pea through 20 mattresses and 20 feather beds? Spot must have read it recently. His new favorite pastime is balancing himself atop stacks of pillows.
I hate to tell him, but he's more pauper than prince. He's forgotten that he grew up in a parking lot. Still, he's become quite a handsome boy. And unlike the pea princess, he's ever eager to help out with chores.
Maurice Sendak: Where the Wild Things Are
Max was named after the Wildest Thing of All. Like Maurice Sendak's Max, Stick Figure Cat likes having dinner waiting after a wild rumpus.
Margery Williams: The Velveteen Rabbit
While filling out Max's adoption paperwork, I thought of the Velveteen Rabbit. Just as he went from unwanted to adorable, every abandoned animal has the potential to "become real".
Hayde Ardalan: Milton
Max looks a tiny bit like Milton, "an exceptional cat with a curious nose" :)
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Book
Remember how Mowgli's wolf parents introduced their new boy to the pack? Max's first meeting with the Spots reminded me of that.
Recent Comments