Kitties!

The past few years has been filled with a number of experiences with cats (the most adorable creatures in the world) for my family. In December of 2008, we adopted a kitten from the SPCA for my sister's 18th birthday. At just 10 weeks old, Cleo was an adorable ball of fluff. She is a medium length hair tabby, and basically the softest kitty in the world. Her hobbies include napping in unusual places, staring out windows, napping, mewing for food, napping, chasing beads on the tile floor, napping, opening kitchen cabinets, and napping. Cleo will turn 2 on October 4th. She is the first cat my family has ever had and now I can't imagine what it was like not having a kitty.

Last September, a small gray cat whom we named Button started visiting our backyard. She looked skinny so we would feed her whenever she would come by. One day she was in the backyard and I set out some food and left to do something else. My mom called me to come quick and look at Button. Beside her were four tiny kittens (3 black and white and one gray and white) who were probably about six-eight weeks old! Button was a mother who had gained enough trust in us to introduce us to her adorable babies. They were so adventurous, scampering around the backyard, fighting each other, and competing for their mother's attention. We set out a box with some blankets for them where they all curled up. They continued to visit regularly for a few days, and since they were all tiny from undernourishment, it was clear that they had no real home. So, we took Button and her babies to the SPCA, where they were adopted into loving homes. :)

Some more cats have recently found our backyard to be a suitable hangout. A skinny, mostly black calico started visiting and we would feed him too. He seemed nice enough, purring and rubbing against everyone's legs. After a few weeks though, we saw that he has a temper. Whenever he spots Cleo in the window (she's always fascinated by other cats since she is a strictly indoor cat), he hisses aggressively at her. He will also occasionally bite if he's not in the mood to be pet. About a week ago a new cat, a beautiful orange tabby with white socks, came to our backyard. We named him Roger and he is so sweet. He comes every morning and evening to be fed and for some attention. He can purr so loudly and loves belly rubs. Cleo and him enjoy staring at each other through the window. Roger is definitely the perfect pet for anyone.

This summer, we decided to foster some kittens. We took in four adorable kittens for a week. Their names were Ben (gray), Mindy (black), Mary (black and white), and Barbie (tabby). Ben, the only boy, was quite a sweetheart always wanting to be with people. Mindy was somewhat shy but loved playing with string. Mary was the most adventurous and the leader of the group always looking for new places to explore. Barbie was the most petite baby of the group but was definitely quite mischievous. We thought Cleo would be aggressive towards them but she would just stare at them as they batted at her. It was a great experience caring for them for a while. Our house has thus been dubbed the 'Cat Haven'. As you can see, cats are my favorite animals and I love talking/writing about them :)