Family History: Pets
What pets have I had? Which one was my favorite?
My first pet was a German Shepherd we named Jenny. She ran away and apparently went to live with a neighbor around the block. I was under 5 at the time.
My second pet was a chocolate lab that my baby-sitter (who also claimed to be a witch) named Trixie. I don't particularly want to talk about that.
For about 10 minutes when I was 8, I had a kitten named Aurora. She ran away, and I was devastated. We found out that the neighbors behind us found her and adopted her.
When I got home from camp, at age 8 again, I found a kitten in my room. I named "her" Miss Cuddles, only to find out that "she" was a "he". So he became Master Cuddles. He was a poofy Sealpoint Siamese. He gave kisses. He was awesome. He was hit by a car when I was in the 6th grade.
During this time, my sister got an orange marmalade cat that our baby-sitter (the witch again) named Toby. A post fell on her, and she died.
When I was in the 8th grade I got a kitten from our vet. He was a Himalayan-Siamese cat, and I named him TJ. It started out standing for Tony, Jr., after Tony in West Side Story. TJ would come when I called him. When I came home from college, he would immediately come when he heard my voice. He died of cancer when he was 13. I was living in NH at the time. I said good-bye to him over the phone. He meowed at me.
During this time, my sister got a gray tabby cat she named Misty. I think Misty was hit by a car.
In 1998, I adopted Katchoo, who was a gorgeous kitty. Max actually picked her out at the Santa Clara Humane Society. She moved to NH with me. Just before we moved back to CA, she got very sick - fatty liver disease. She died a few weeks after we moved to CA. On Max's birthday, 2004.
After I moved to NH, I adopted Sassy. Her owner had just moved to NH, and the landlord wouldn't let her keep her cats. She was distraught. Sassy was about 4 at the time. That makes her about 15 now. We've had a couple close calls, but overall, she's been a very good, healthy kitty.
After the death of Katchoo, I decided Max needed a kitten. So, he adopted a marmalade he named Giles. Giles's life was short-lived. He died in February 2005, at about 10 months of age. He had FIP.
We decided that Sassy would be an only kitty. And she was, until January 2007. Our neighbors had to thin their herd of cats. They were a one-family kitty rescue. One of the cats they were looking to place was a tortoiseshell named Jinxy. When Jack said, "cat" for the first time, it was to Jinxy, out our back door. So, we adopted Jinxy.
Then, we upset the balance of power when our other neighbors' brother got a kitten, and his mother wouldn't allow it in the house. So, we got Firefly, then Sassy became very ill, so our other neighbors (Jinxy's original owners) took her in. We named her Firefly. She was banished from the house, along with most of the other cats, this past November. She kept following Jinxy inside, and she looks so much like Katchoo... so we kept her. Surprisingly, Sassy has not been ill over this. She has changed some of her behaviors. She no longer sleeps on my head. I'm hoping we can get the garage to a state of cleanliness that allows us to put Firefly out there in "time out". She and Sassy hate each other.
My first pet was a German Shepherd we named Jenny. She ran away and apparently went to live with a neighbor around the block. I was under 5 at the time.
My second pet was a chocolate lab that my baby-sitter (who also claimed to be a witch) named Trixie. I don't particularly want to talk about that.
For about 10 minutes when I was 8, I had a kitten named Aurora. She ran away, and I was devastated. We found out that the neighbors behind us found her and adopted her.
When I got home from camp, at age 8 again, I found a kitten in my room. I named "her" Miss Cuddles, only to find out that "she" was a "he". So he became Master Cuddles. He was a poofy Sealpoint Siamese. He gave kisses. He was awesome. He was hit by a car when I was in the 6th grade.
During this time, my sister got an orange marmalade cat that our baby-sitter (the witch again) named Toby. A post fell on her, and she died.
When I was in the 8th grade I got a kitten from our vet. He was a Himalayan-Siamese cat, and I named him TJ. It started out standing for Tony, Jr., after Tony in West Side Story. TJ would come when I called him. When I came home from college, he would immediately come when he heard my voice. He died of cancer when he was 13. I was living in NH at the time. I said good-bye to him over the phone. He meowed at me.
During this time, my sister got a gray tabby cat she named Misty. I think Misty was hit by a car.
In 1998, I adopted Katchoo, who was a gorgeous kitty. Max actually picked her out at the Santa Clara Humane Society. She moved to NH with me. Just before we moved back to CA, she got very sick - fatty liver disease. She died a few weeks after we moved to CA. On Max's birthday, 2004.
After I moved to NH, I adopted Sassy. Her owner had just moved to NH, and the landlord wouldn't let her keep her cats. She was distraught. Sassy was about 4 at the time. That makes her about 15 now. We've had a couple close calls, but overall, she's been a very good, healthy kitty.
After the death of Katchoo, I decided Max needed a kitten. So, he adopted a marmalade he named Giles. Giles's life was short-lived. He died in February 2005, at about 10 months of age. He had FIP.
We decided that Sassy would be an only kitty. And she was, until January 2007. Our neighbors had to thin their herd of cats. They were a one-family kitty rescue. One of the cats they were looking to place was a tortoiseshell named Jinxy. When Jack said, "cat" for the first time, it was to Jinxy, out our back door. So, we adopted Jinxy.
Then, we upset the balance of power when our other neighbors' brother got a kitten, and his mother wouldn't allow it in the house. So, we got Firefly, then Sassy became very ill, so our other neighbors (Jinxy's original owners) took her in. We named her Firefly. She was banished from the house, along with most of the other cats, this past November. She kept following Jinxy inside, and she looks so much like Katchoo... so we kept her. Surprisingly, Sassy has not been ill over this. She has changed some of her behaviors. She no longer sleeps on my head. I'm hoping we can get the garage to a state of cleanliness that allows us to put Firefly out there in "time out". She and Sassy hate each other.