It's all about my FAVE kitties, baby!

Sophie, Mason, and Kitty Kitty Keeska's Paw Prints

Deep thoughts about sleeping in the sun and other kitty musings...

My Kitties

• Sophie
• Mason
• Kitty Kitty Keeska

In Memoriam

• Nicky
• Stupid
• Cleo

Nicknames

Sophie, Sofia, Sofia Bulgaria, Sophie de la Mophie, Mophie, Mophers, Philo-Sophia, Fuzzy Buddy, Fuzzy Butt, Fuzzy Pants, and Fuzzy Tummy

Miracle Kitty!

Sophie is my Miracle Kitty! She went into respiratory arrest when she was getting neutered. Dr. Sandy (The Cat Hospital, Orlando, Florida) revived her but she was in bad shape! Sophie was blind and Dr. Sandy feared she was brain damaged from lack of oxygen. I visited Sophie twice a day during the workweek and spent HOURS with her on the weekends while Sophie was caged in an oxygen tent. If I thought she'd appreciate it, I would have sent her flowers!

After Sophie woke up, we tried to see what the real damage was. Sophie would run toward me whenever she heard my voice. If I wasn't there to catch her, she'd tumble right out of the front of the cage onto the floor. She couldn't even see the difference between light and dark places. That really frightened me! I was seriously considering having her put to sleep. I didn't think that a blind cat would have a very high quality of life. I didn't want our apartment to be a danger zone because she couldn't see. Dr. Sandy told me that because she was so young, being blind wouldn't slow her down very much. What we had to worry about was the possible brain damage...

Then, about a week after Sophie's crisis, Dr. Sandy called me up and told me that Sophie could see! And, there was no apparent brain damage. I couldn't believe it. It was a miracle! Nobody's sure what happened, why it happened, or why Sophie healed as good as new! I think it was Dr. Sandy's quick response during the crisis. Dr. Sandy was the best vet I ever had! I miss Dr. Sandy and wish I could still have her as my vet!

My Story

Hello, I'm Sophie. I'm almost 6 years old. I almost never made it past 6 months old as mommy has told you. Mommy says you shouldn't have favorites, but I am definitely her favorite kitty. Mommy also calls me her kitty super model. Just look at my photo and you can tell why. Don't tell me I'm beautiful because I know it and I'll dismiss you with a bored wave of my paw.

I love to eat, purr, sleep on the bed, sleep in the sun, sniff out the window, and eat. Did I mention I love to eat?

Before Tara Lyn became my mommy, Linda was my mommy in Orlando. Linda was a stripper but she loved me and took care of me and my siblings, so I don't care. I was supposed to be a girl but Linda couldn't tell the boys from the girls. So, Tara Lyn named me Sophie, a name she picked out before she even met me! A few months later it became clear that I was not a girl kitty. However, the name stuck. I don't mind having a girl's name.

I make sure mommy never lets my food bowl get empty. If it does, I nibble on her toes! That usually gets her attention!

I have the loudest purr of any cat I know. I just sound like a little motorboat. I purr all the time, especially when mommy is trying to sleep. Just in case she can't hear me, I stick my nose in her ear. She doesn't like that much.

My job is to torment Mason. I do this very well. We grew up together, so it's ok. Mason is a wimp and I chase him all over the basement all day. Mommy doesn't like it when I do this and throws whatever happens to be within arms reach at me. She's a good shot -- she rarely misses me.

My favorite trick to play on mommy is to run out the door when she opens it and her hands are full. Mommy really freaks out when this happens. She runs after me but never catches me. Mommy runs like Edith Bunker -- it's funny to watch.

Mommy says I don't know how good I have it. To show me how some other kitties have to live, she threw me out in the snow last winter. She told me that not all kitties have a bed to sleep on, a food bowl that's always full, and heat and a/c. Yada yada yada.... Shut up and feed me.

I don't want you to think I'm totally selfish. I always snuggle with my mommy because I know she likes it. And, I also keep Mason and Keeska clean by giving them lots of baths.

Nicknames

Mason-Jason, Jason-Mason, Matie, Matie the Moo, Patie, Patie the Poo. My Moo, Moo-Poo, BMOC (Big Moo on Campus), Scaredy Cat, LBC (Little Black Cat)

My Story

Hello, I'm Mason and I'm almost 6 just like Sophie. My first few weeks of life were very rough. I lived outside and nobody is sure what happened to my cat mommy. Luckily, me and my brothers and sisters were rescued.

My mommy got me from the Orlando Pet Rescue Kitty Adoption Day at PetsMart. She almost didn't take me home with her. She chose an orange kitty first. Luckily, that kitty had already found new parents, so mommy asked for the kitty that the orange one was sleeping on top of -- that was me! She took me home and introduced me to my new sister, Sophie. We were very good friends when we were kittens, but we've grown apart since then.

Though mommy has tried to convince me that I'm safe and nothing can hurt me now, I'm still very skittish. Though I'm getting better every year. If mommy sneezes or drops something, or even just gets out of bed too fast, I bolt. Then, when I think it's safe, I come out and say hello. I used to stay away when there were strangers in the house, but now I will come out to say hello after a while. Aren't you proud of me!

My job is to keep mommy safe from those vile chipmunks that live under the back porch. I'm very good at it. My pounce dance is very intimidating and I growl a lot. Not one of those invaders has ever made it through the sliding glass door. Those chipmunks know who rules the roost!

I love my mommy very much. I always have to be around her and I follow her all over the house. Whenever she calls my name, I come running and meow a hello. When she pets me, I rear up like a bucking bronco to meet her hand. I sleep on the bed at mommy's feet. And, at least once every night, I get under the covers, lie on her chest, and purr, do paws, and drool. I always drool when I'm very contented. Mommy says she doesn't mind waking up with wet spots on her jammies.

I'm good friends with Keeska. We lie in the sun together and clean each other. Sophie chases me around too much. When she does and mommy is around, I make the most pathetic meowing sound I can so mommy will save me. She always does!

I have this trick I play on mommy. She has never seen me eat! She knows I eat because I'm a little turbo kitty right now, but she's never actually seen me eat! I know she's heard me munching away in the dark though.

My favorite thing to do is sit on mommy's lap while she works on the computer. I drool then, too. She talks to me and pets me and tells me what she is working on. She even shows me sometimes. I really enjoyed telling mommy what to put in my part of the kitty page. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's done!

Nicknames

Kitty Kitty Keeska, Hi-Koo, KooKoo, KooKoo the Koo, KooKoo Kitty, Blue Eyed Wretch

My Story

Mommy got me from a co-worker. She wanted to get a kitty RIGHT THAT SECOND and was just about to leave for the Humane Society when she overheard Jim talking that his Siamese was having babies. Jim said the babies weren't due for about a month, but he'd save one for my mommy. Mommy said she wanted one of the girls.

I was born April 12, 1997. I was one of three babies. As it turns out, Jim couldn't tell the boys from the girls either, so he gave me to mommy telling her that I was a girl. I am NOT a girl! But, I can't convince mommy to change my sissy name to one that's more manly. Kitty Kitty Keeska -- yuck! Mommy tells me that Keeska is Russian for kitty, so my name is really Kitty Kitty Kitty. That's even worse!

I like to lie in the sun with Mason and give him baths, but sometimes I bite his ears and chase him around too. I'm not as bad as Sophie is though.

I, like all Siamese cats, am a talker. I am always talking to mommy so she doesn't get lonely. I talk about all sorts of subjects: the weather, current events, and whether the earth will crash into the sun. Mommy talks back to me like I'm a human. Sometimes I don't think mommy understands me. For instance, I'll be discussing acid/base titration and mom will answer with something about "Weird Al" Yankovic. Maybe I'm talking above her head.

I always sleep on mommy's pillow right next to her head. Sometimes I put my paw on her cheek just to let her know I'm there. The first thing mommy does when she wakes up is turns over and gives me a scratch and a kiss. If mommy hits the snooze alarm too many times, that makes me mad! When that happens, I stand up and yell at her to GET OUT OF BED! Of course, once she's up, my job is done, and I curl up and go back to sleep.

Besides waking mommy up, my other job is family bug hunter. Mommy really likes this about me and always points out new bugs to me. Not that I need to have bugs pointed out to me, you understand. No bug is safe when I'm on patrol! I'm very good at it. My favorite bugs are crickets. I play with them first before I eat them. I stare at them until they jump, move right next to them and start staring. I think my gaze unnerves them. If I'm feeling lenient, I'll let the cricket jump all around the room. But, I'm no pushover. I always devour them in the end. Viola! No more bugs. When my work is done, I take a nap! Who needs Orkin when I'm around!?!?!

Nicknames

Nick, Nick-a-potamus, Shadow

Nicky's Story

I got Nicky when nobody else wanted him. One of my mom's co-workers got him as a Christmas gift -- a gift she didn't want. The woman traveled a lot on business and just wasn’t home enough to properly care for a cat. She decided to take Nicky (though she called him Shadow) to the pound. When my mom heard that, she just had to save him! My family ended up with 17 cats that way! So, that's how Nicky came home with us.

Nicky was declawed and all our other cats attacked him mercilessly. He sure didn't deserve that! Luckily, my boyfriend at the time had an apartment, so we took Nicky out of my mom's house and brought him home with us so he would be an only cat.

We loved Nicky so much! We taught him to roll over like a dog when we shook a can of Bonkers cat treats. We called that Nicky's Bonk Bonk Trick. We'd say, "Bonk, Bonk, Nicky! Bonk, Bonk!" And he'd roll all the way over and them look at us expectantly. If no Bonker appeared, he'd get really mad! Sometimes, if Nicky didn't think we were paying enough attention to him, he'd do his trick unprompted just to get our attention! It worked every time!

Nicky was my protector, also! One time, my boyfriend was tickling me and wouldn't stop! I was yelling HELP HELP and trying to get away! Then, I saw that Nicky had come over, looking very concerned, to see what was going on. I saw this and started yelling, "Nicky, HELP me!" Nicky crouched down, set his sights on my boyfriend, and ran across the room and bit him right on the elbow. He drew blood, too! My boyfriend was so shocked that he just stopped tickling me. Nicky is, to this day, My Hero!

Nicknames

Poopie, Poop-a-potamus

Poopy's Story

Though I named her Stupid, she was the smartest cat ever!

I think everybody has one pet in their life that is just so super-special that you will remember her and speak fondly of her until the day you die: Stupid is that super-special pet to me! We bonded in a way I never have bonded with a pet before or since.

One horribly rainy night a kitten ran across the road right in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes so as not to hit her but I was sure I had killed her! Luckily, she was unharmed. She was also shocked into not running away, which surprised me. So, I scooped up this little, tiny, soaking wet, pathetic, mewling mess of a cat and took her home with me. The poor thing was just a baby -- I'd guess barely old enough to be weaned.

When I took this yet unnamed kitten home, I dried her off, and tried to get her to stop screaming her darn fool head off! After a while she calmed down enough that she shut up and I could shove some food down her throat. So, after her tummy was full and she seemed OK with me, it was time to introduce her to her new big brother, Nicky.

Well, Nicky is a big cat under any circumstances, but to this itty-bitty kitty he must have seemed massive! I put the baby on the floor and let her sniff around. She meandered over Nicky's way. Nicky definitely saw her and never took his eyes off her. But, he was interested but not agitated. That lulled me into a false sense of security. I kept my eye on the baby while it inched closer and closer to Nicky. Nicky was absolutely calm until the baby's nose touched his paw. He instantly puffed up to 27 times his normal size and let out a hiss like I had never heard from him!

The poor baby just freaked out and started running across the living room in a blind panic, crossed onto the tiled kitchen floor and slid right into the refrigerator! Poor thing couldn't get a grip on the tile so she could steer herself.

She sat there a little dazed and I scooped her up laughing the whole time. I cuddled with her and told her that was the stupidest thing I had ever seen a cat do in my life. Well, I believe that pets name themselves, and I knew right there that her name just HAD to be Stupid. I also believe it doesn't matter what you call a pet as long as you say it with love! And, I also believe you give a pet a name and the never really call them that name again. I gave her the nickname Poopy and mostly called her that.

My Stepmother said that I shouldn't call her Stupid, I should call her Smarty because she was smart enough to choose MY car to run in front of!!!

So, now she was officially named. And, she had wriggled her way right into my heart and became an instant part of the family!

She was my reverse alarm clock: if I would stay up later than 11:00 on a weeknight, she'd let me know it was time to go to bed. She'd run up the hall to my room and wait for me. If I did not follow her, she'd come tearing down the hall to where I was meowing her head off. She'd repeat this until I followed her to my bedroom. I didn't have to go to sleep, she'd let me watch TV or read, but I HAD to be in bed at 11 sharp! She did not do this on Friday and Saturday nights though. We'd get into arguments when there was a holiday, we had a hurricane, or I'd take a day off from work. Of course, I would want to stay up later than usual. I tried in vain every time to tell her that I didn't have to go into work the next day, but I never convinced her. I usually just dropped what I was doing and went to bed or just moved it into the bedroom to satisfy her. There's just no arguing with a cat, you know!!!!!

She also slept right on top of me every night and every time I took a nap. We quickly developed a system where I would pet Poopy twice before I needed to roll over and she'd get off me, wait for me to turn over and get settled, then she'd crawl right back on top of me and go right back to sleep. I can't remember a single time where I went to sleep or woke up without her right there. It was very comforting.

Nicknames

Clee, Mom Cat

Cleo's Story

I was drawn to Cleo because she looked so much like Poopy that I thought she was Poopy reincarnated!

I lost both Nicky and Poopy in 1995 and just couldn't stand to not have a kitten in the house. So, I went toDr. Sandy to see if she had a kitten or two for me.

Dr. Sandy didn't have a kitten for me, but she had a Mom Cat who someone picked up off the side of the road. She was nursing at the time, though nobody knew where her kittens were. Dr. Sandy used Cleo to nurse some other abandoned kittens she had in her office.

Dr. Sandy put my last cat, Nicky, to sleep right on Memorial Day weekend 1995. At that time that the kittens Cleo was nursing had been weaned, so Cleo now needed a home. Luckily, I had just the place for her.

I loved Cleo very much! She died of heartworms a couple of months after I got her. I did not even know cats could get heartworms.

I think Cleo's life was a very hard one for a long time. She lived through it only to die once she had a finally found a stable, loving home.

I hope against hope that I made her last few months on earth happy, and confortable and full of hugs, kisses, and kitten kuddles!