The Cast of Cats by all of us

Arty here.  We took a vote and decided to each write our own biography.  We're going to start in order of seniority mostly because it took everything to get Shadow to come out of the bedroom.  As mom says he's a big chicken in a black cat suit.  So, here we go.

Shadow

My name is Shadow.  I'm thirteen years-old.  I've lived with Momma all my life.  The first day I saw her I knew we were meant to be together.  Momma had just moved to our town and was looking for a pet.  She specifically wanted a black cat and she found me.  She paid $10.81 for a bag of cat food and got me free.  We lived in our apartment for about five years before she met and married dad.  Then they moved to the farm house.  I've only been outside three times in my life.  Once when she brought me home from the pet shop, once when she took me from our apartment to the farm house and once when she took me to the vet.  The vet experience was the worst.  I don't like the outside world.  I'd rather be inside where the air is climate controlled, the food is in a dish and I have a nice cozy bed to curl up on.  I rarely come out of the bedroom.  Usually, I wait till Momma is home, then I come out into the living room to be with her.  I love to sit with her on the couch and watch old movies.   

Abby

Abby here.  I've lived with Mom for fourteen years.  I was a stray cat living in the apartment complex she and Shadow lived in.  She started leaving a box with warm soft towels in it and food and water out on her porch.  I think she was trying to catch this little grey cat but the grey cat never would stay in the box when Mom came out.  One day I curled up in the box and fell fast asleep.  When I woke up I opened on eye to see Mom looking down at me.  She ran her hand over my body and then went inside.  With that one touch I knew she was a keeper.  A few days later, she left her apartment door wide open.  She did that a lot because Shadow is too much of a wuss to run outside.  Anyway, I figured I'd take a look around.  I walked past her and down the hall to the bedroom where I found Shadow curled up on the bed.  I jumped up, sat next to him and passed out.  An hour later Mom came in to check on Shadow.  I meowed at her.  She stepped over, stroked my fur and said, "Well, I guess you live here now."  I love to eat.  I eat all the time.  I've helped train dad into feeding me whenever I yowl.  I'm great at yowling.  I can yowl for forty-five seconds flat without take a breath or loosing my tone.  It's a great skill.

Cleopatra

Hello, Cleopatra here but you can call me Cleo.  I was born in the apartment.  My cat dad is Shadow and my cat mom is Jade.  Jade passed away several years ago.  I was the first born from Jade and Shadow's first litter of cats.  The night I was born Momma cried.  She stayed up with us until we were all born.  Daddy named me Cleopatra.  When I got older momma started calling me her dancing queen because I turned and shifted my paws when it was time to eat.  Before I got sick she use to play ABBA's Dancing Queen and ask me to dance for her.  Sometimes, when I'm not feeling well and she's holding me she gently rocks me and softly sings a few words from the song.  I've been sick for several years now.  I have a nervous system problem.  We don't know exactly what it is and it would cost thousands of dollars to have an MRI and cat scan done to try and figure it out.  And even then they can't guarantee they'll find out what's really wrong.  So, Momma and Daddy take care of me as best they can and I love them for it.  Momma is fiercely protective of me and Daddy is extremely patient with me.  

Liberty

Hi, I'm Liberty, Libby for short.  I was the second born.  Momma suggested calling me Liberty because my predominant color is grey and Daddy likes to collect Liberty Dollars.  I'm definitely Daddy's girl.  Momma says I've twisted daddy around my little grey paws.  I'm a people person.  I love to be around the humans.  I talk all the time.  Momma calls me Little Miss Chatty Cat.  There's so much to say I just gotta get it all out there!  Except, when there's a camera in front of me.  I don't like to talk on camera.  

Pudgie

Slim

Slim Jim here to write about me and my brother
Pudgie.  I was the third born while Pudgie was born last.  Originally, mom named us George and Fred because my brother and I were identical tabby cats and she thought it would be funny to name us after the Weasley twins from the Harry Potter books.  Whatever.  For about six months it was impossible to really tell us apart.  However, as we grew up I became long and sleek and my mom started calling me Slim Jim while my brother become short and stocky earning him the name Pudgie.  Don't let the name fool you though, Pudgie is anything but fat.  He's just as muscular as me if not more so.  While i'm affectionate with mom and dad, Pudgie is a loner.  I like to hang out on top of the kitchen cabinets while Pudgie hides out in the laundry room but we both love the bathroom.

Galahad

I'm Sir Galahad.  Mom and dad call me Gally for short.  D'art and I were born from the second litter of kittens.  Dad wanted to keep me because I looked just like our cat mom, Jade.  I'm a sand colored tabby cat with my dad's green eyes.  I spend most of my time following dad around the house.  Mom calls me his own personal shadow.  

D'artagnan

Bonjour, I'm D'artagnan but you can call me D'art.  Momma named me after one of the three musketeers because they're French and she's part french and she figured someone in the family should have a French name.  I'm the "baby" of the house.  I use to let momma "baby hold" me which means she'd hold me in her arms, with my head cradled in the crook of her arm just like a baby.  I don't like it anymore but I still want to be the baby of the house.  I hate Arthur.  When he came to live here things changed for awhile.  He became the baby until momma finally picked me up and told me that I was till the baby.  But I still think Arty is annoying.

Arty

Arty back again.   I was adopted from the local animal shelter after Jade died.  Jade was dad's cat and when she died he was pretty sad about it.  So, mom told him that in a few weeks they could go to the shelter and start looking around at cats to replace her with.  She didn't really mean it and figured in a few weeks that dad would forget and not be so sad.  However, two days after mom told dad about the animal shelter dad started going.  I was already a bit of a celebrity as I was featured in the local newspaper.  They were doing a story about all the pets up for adoption.  I watched him walk down the aisle and when he got close enough I reached out for him.  Dad chuckled and decided to take me home.  He put me in the guest room where I climbed around and found a good spot to hide till mom came home.  I heard dad talking to her about going to the shelter and seeing the kitten in the newspaper as he lead her towards the guest room.  "He was really full of energy and well," the door opened, mom looked in and I ran out from under the bed.  Her eyes widened for a moment then she was kneeling down and scooping me up.  I was cute and adorable and sweet.  "What're we naming him?"  Dad decided on King Arthur and mom started calling me Arty, unless I'm bad and I'm called Arthur.

Dutch

Hi, I'm Dutch.  I showed up on the property in Spring 2008.  Mom was taking a grad class and named me Duchess, after a character in one of the books she was reading.  At the time she didn't realize I was a boy.  I admit she did try and check out my area  but my hair is so long that she couldn't see my boy parts so she figured I was a girl.  So up until March of this year she called me Duchess.  In March she decided to take me to the vet for my shots because I'm an outside cat, we live in the country and there are raccoons and possums, and because Molly swats at the critters.  Mom was afraid a critter would get mad or scared, bite me and I'd get sick.  Dr. Russell took one look at me and said, "I don't think she's a girl.  I think he's a boy.  He's too big to be a girl."  And I am.  I'm huge with lots of long black and white fur.  Dr. Russell looked around, found my boy part confirming my boyhood.  So, mom changed my name to Dutch.  Other than the mistaken identity things here are great.  They make sure to give me clean water, feed me both dry and can food, and walk and talk with me everyday.  When there's a bad storm mom and dad bring me and Molly in and we stay in the laundry room where it's cozy and dry.  I'd like to wander around the house but Pudgie doesn't like me and mom wants to keep me safe from him.

Molly Mew

I'm the youngest and my name is Molly Mew.  I showed up in October 2010.  I was about four months old.  I made my way from the drainage ditch a quarter of a mile away from the farm house.  The night I made it up on the porch I was tired and hungry and scared.  I got on the porch and started to eat the food that had been left on the porch when Dutch showed up.  I ran behind some boards propped against the porch wall and let out a screech which brought momma out to investigate.  Momma bent down and peered into my hiding place & saw me.  She pulled me out but I was so scared that I started twisting and clawing.  She managed to set me down rather than dropping me.  I went back to hiding.  Momma pushed the plate of food towards me and gave Dutch a plate of his own.  After a day of being fed I realized that momma and dad weren't going to hurt me and liked me.  So, I let them pick me up and take care of me.  Momma took me to see Dr. Russell  who examined me and pronounced me in good health.  I got my shots and after a few more weeks I was fixed.  I've lived with them for a year and a half now and it's great.  I spend my day sleeping on the porch, climbing in the old barn, and exploring the property.  Momma calls us her Angel kitties sent to her by God because he knew she'd take care of us.       

Arty again.  So that's everyone.  We all live together in this big old farm house just outside the city limits with our human parents.  Now, normally our blogs won't be this long but we felt it important to let you know who everyone was.  We hope you come back again soon.