Continuing now with the family of cats that makes up the majority of our household! If you’re haven’t already, read about our “adult” kitties here!

Chloe: Chloe is one of the “kittens,” as we still call them to this day. We estimate their birthdate at September 1, 2010, so they are all 5 now. Hard to believe! Chloe is a tabby, but has white feet (her mama Molly has black feet) and her left hind leg is white. Her coloring is more brown and she has a cute pink nose and the most gorgeous green eyes. She is quite friendly, even with strangers, and loves to be pet on the floor while we eat in the dining room. But if you attempt to pick her up, she’ll scratch your face off. She loves to jump on the bed for pets before we go to bed at night, but won’t spend the night on the bed. She’s our sweet little girl with a sweet little meow that isn’t quite a meow. I’ve tried to teach her to meow, but she hasn’t quite caught on.

Zoe: Zoe is Chloe’s twin. We can tell them apart because Zoe is smaller (itty-bitty thing only weighs 5 lbs, which is about the size of your average 6-7 month old cat), is more gray in color, and has tabby coloring all the way down to her white feet. She is so itsy-bitsy, it’s like having a perpetual kitten! When she wants attention, she meows incessantly and follows you around until you pick her up and hold her or go to one of her approved “petting platforms,” which include: the kitchen stool (her favorite), the cat tree next to the kitchen table, the clothes hamper, and sometimes our bed. She melts into mush when you pet her. Another of her most favorite activities is to roam around on top of the kitchen cabinets and meow until you come into the kitchen and watch her jump down. She loves mommy’s lap and is our absolute sweetheart.

Nala: Nala is an interesting little cat. She’s also a tiny tabby like her sister Zoe, so it’s like having two kittens forever. She and Luna do not get along at all; they routinely chase each other and Nala gets cornered and growls and hisses and it’s all a big deal. As a result of this antagonism, Nala likes to pee everywhere. She still uses the litter box whenever it suits her, but when she’s feeling stressed, she’ll pee on a curtain or a baseboard or a stray piece of clothing left on the floor. It’s highly annoying. But we love our little peanut (or “pee-nut”). I think out of all the the cats, she is the most in tune with when something is wrong with me, because she’ll be on my lap instantly if I’m sick or stressed. She likes sleeping on top of the entertainment center and insists on climbing down the chimney instead of taking the stairs from the second floor to the first floor.

Casper: Casper is the lone boy in the group with six other girl kitties! He’s a white cat, (just like his supposed daddy, the white dumpster cat by my roomie’s apartment. We’ve considered the possibility that given that all of our cats except Luna are strays from the same small college town, that Aurora and Casper have the same daddy. Who knows? It’s certainly possible!) For unknown reasons, we also call him Sir. He is a good boy because he sticks up for his family when Luna starts to antagonize them. He sometimes chases her, but many times he will just casually saunter into view to make it known to Luna that he’s there. Then Luna will slink away. He’s definitely our protector cat, which is hilarious because he is also the one who runs and hides the most when the doorbell rings or there are unfamiliar people in the house. He enjoys sleeping on the bed with us, so we usually end up with Aurora and Casper, an arrangement we affectionately call “white kitty white kitty.”

He particularly enjoys wandering around and meowing for no obvious reason, especially in the middle of the night. He’s such a weenie. But don’t let that fool you; his long, lean body can really pack a punch. He’s knocked over flower vases with his tail and done all sorts of damage with his powerful flops!

Lefty: Wait, I thought we only had 7 cats? Well, we do. Lefty is a kitty who visits our house several times a day, trying to earn the friendship of our cats, who will have nothing to do with poor Lefty. She’s been a regular visitor at our house since March of this year, when she just appeared on the deck one day. She kept coming around so I became concerned she was lost, so I called the number on her tag and found out she lives 3 houses down, but is a former barn cat, so she likes to roam. She is especially hated by our adult kitties, who have special howls they let out whenever Lefty shows up, so I know when she’s here. She loves trying to climb our window screens, so I have to keep the windows shut when she is around. But she really is a sweetie, so I count her as an honorary member of our kitty household.

So there you have it. Our cat family. Although they won’t be with us forever, they are still ours for now and our lives are better for it.

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