Our Cats
It could be said that our cats rule the house. But of course our lives would
not be as fulfilled without our little ones...
Reagan is the old man of the house, but he is usually the one most-picked-on. He is an eleven-year-old black and white long hair cat that I got from my cousin when he was about three years old. He is one of the most vocal cats we have ever heard, meowing often for attention, food, or to go outside. Although he looks chubby (our neighbors from across the street actually thought he was a goat!), he only weighs 11 pounds. Reagan's fur is extremely soft, probably due to his extremely rough tongue. He loves to roll over on his back to sleep and he will usually nestle right next to you at night. Reagan has been compared to a cow, a goat, and a skunk
Shadow is the tough guy of the house. He is about ten years old and all black (with a small white "birthmark" on his paw). Shadow likes digging in kitty litter and getting a clump of it stuck on his nose. He also likes drinking milk, watching birds, and laying in bathroom sinks. But his
favorite activity is tormenting Reagan by chasing him around the living room. Shadow was diabetic, getting insulin shots twice a day. Before we knew he was diabetic, his favorite food was Twinkies. One time, he carried a whole ham sandwich from the kitchen counter to a bedroom upstairs. After about four years of regular insulin shots and a special diet, he was able to regulate his blood
sugar on his own. We're so happy that we don't have to give Shadow shots anymore and he is as healthy as ever. Sometimes, Shadow reminds us of a black bear, a panther, or the Caddyshack gofer.
Biscuit came to us as a kitten from SICSA in 2000. She is a long-hair dilute calico (white, tan, and gray). She is pretty good about not scratching things with her claws, so we decided to not get her declawed when we got her spayed. Biscuit likes shredding toilet paper, batting at saws and measuring tape, and sneaking outside. She also has no fear of water. There is one particular bell toy that will make her wimper and wrinkle her nose if she hears it - even if she's in a deep sleep! She goes bonkers for the laser pointer which is hilarious to watch as she claws into the carpet to make those sharp turns. Biscuit will also inhale food and then steal from the other cats. We feared she was diabetic, but thankfully, she tested negative.
Chicklet is arguably one of the best cats we have ever had. She was another kitten from SICSA about a year after Biscuit. Chicklet, or 'Chicky' as we sometimes call her, is a medium-hair calico with a long poofy tail. She loves to romp around with Biscuit, jump really high to get a toy, and watch the toilet flush. Since we got her declawed, she has a habbit of standing on her hind legs. She'll even reach up to you when she wants to be picked up which is really cute. She will usually jump into your lap when you're watching TV and she likes to be held like a baby. Chicklet is a very friendly cat and gets along great with all the others. She is best known for her ring-tailed lemur impression. (Did you know that almost all calico cats are female?)
Violet is our most recent addition. She is a white short hair cat with some splotches of tabby markings and a black nose. Violet scares very easily and doesn't like Brad that much. In fact, he can only pet her when her back is to him. If she turns around to see who it is, she runs away. She shows a little more affection towards Dawn. Violet talks almost as much as Reagan, but she squeaks rather than meows. She has a peculiar habbit of rubbing against the other cats while they are trying to eat - not trying to steal their food, just interfering. She also likes laying on her back and standing on Dawn's stomach in the morning as she lies in bed.
Tigger was a cat that Dawn got after she had Shadow. She was a mostly-white short hair calico cat. She was rarely aggressive, but she easily defeated any cat that tried to intimidate her (even Shadow!) She was an independent cat and we could often tell when she was sick because she would seek out Dawn. Unfortunately, Tigger liked to eat toilet paper or Kleenex which clogged up her intestines and required several shots. She also got very nervous around men, during storms, or when the oven was on. Tigger got regular doses of Prednisone and was remarkably good about taking a pill. In 1999, she was diagnosed with diabetes and required much more insulin than Shadow ever needed. There were two episodes where she got so weak, she couldn't even walk or lift her head. We would take her to the emergency vet who would give her all kinds of IV's and medicines. We had a biopse done on her liver, another on a cyst in her mouth, and a liver aspiration. Unfortunately, treatment for her diabetes would worsen her inflamatory bowel disease. By the spring of 2000, Tigger had collapsed again and we decided that her little body had had enough. One of the hardest things we ever had to do was put Tigger to sleep. We had her cremated at The Pines in Lebanon and keep her ashes with us at home.