"Starter" Cats

Despite what many of my friends may think, I have not always been a cat person.  I had a dog for 14 years, and when she had to be put to sleep, it about did me in.  I was going crazy without a pet though.  I tried fish, a bird, and a guinea pig.  None of them did anything for me.

The apartment I had moved into after losing my dog did not allow dogs, so I started reading up on cats and was considering adopting one when a co-worker came in one day to say one of their barn cats had kittens they needed to find homes for . . .  hmmmm . . . she brought one in the next day, and I was hooked!  I had purchased a carrier (not knowing any better, I picked up a small dog carrier, but it worked), and it was in the car.  I put the 9 week old little bugger into the carrier, put the carrier in my cubicle, and took him home at lunch time.

The night before, just in case things worked out, I had set up the litter box in the bathroom, and after playing with him for a while, and making sure he had food and water close by, closed the bathroom doors and went back to work.  That was the longest half day of work I'd had!!

When I finally got home and opened the bathroom door, the little bundle of fur was ecstatic to see me.  Okay, he was excited to be out of the bathroom, but I like to delude myself once in a while!  We played and played, then when I stretched out on the couch to watch some TV, he jumped up on the couch, and proceeded to walk up my legs, over my stomach, and onto my chest.  He then rubbed his nose against mine, and was instantly named "Nozer."

After taking him to the vet, I learned that weighing 4 lbs. at 9 weeks was a big cat, and that he was probably part Maine Coon.  I didn't know for a long time afterwards, but Maine Coons are considered the dogs of the cat world; they are highly trainable in addition to being laid back and gentle, despite their size.  Nozer grew to about 15 pounds, which is pretty average for males.  He also learned to jump up on the bed or couch from a hand signal, liked to drink out of the toilet, would come when called by name (at least 95% of the time), and would be waiting for me at the front door, on his back, to have his belly rubbed when I got home from work.

When I came home from work and could hear him meowing when I was still on the first floor (the apartment was on the 3rd floor), I figured it would be a good thing to get another cat to keep him company.  I had NO idea how complicated that particular endeavor would be!

After going to SICSA several times, I happened upon a beautiful part Abyssinian cat they had named Cookie (I knew someone who went by Cookie, and could NOT saddle this beautiful girl with that name).  I thought it would be pretty easy once I got her home, as long as I kept the two cats separated while I was at work.

It didn't take long for  the "Her Royal Highness" attitude to come out, both toward Nozer and me.  I re-named her Cleo, short for Cleopatra.  It took about 6 months before the two were really friends, and they were fine from there on out.  But those were a long 6 months with lots of hissing and swiping at each other.  It got better the more I rubbed Cleo w/ blankets Nozer had slept on, but several times I wondered if it was ever going to be better.

 Fortunately, perseverance won out!  Now I had two cats with VERY different temperaments.  Nozer was the epitome of calm and laid back while Cleo was the drama queen.  Nozer, with his huge paws, would pick his way across the coffee table, not disturbing anything.  Cleo, who looked like a cat version of a ballerina (long, lean/lanky), would follow behind and knock several things off the coffee table!  Nozer liked to snuggle any time; Cleo liked to wait until I was almost asleep, then crawl under the covers and stick her nose against my leg!

Cleo was a source of amusement in her klutziness until the night she knocked a ceramic lamp off the headboard onto my head.  I learned to move certain things out of self preservation!


I miss these two still.  Nozer was special because he was my first cat and just so darn wonderful (the perfect starter cat!!).  Cleo was special because she was so feisty and independent.  Nozer went first, and that was very hard.  I could wish I'd done things differently, but it wouldn't bring him back to me, so I learned from that and am much more careful when the boys are hiding from me - they don't get away with it for long, and are under a microscope for a couple of days afterwards!  Cleo actually died in her sleep, under a couch, about a year after Nozer.  I'd already adopted Bandit by then, and she DETESTED him.  I had a feeling she was gone when I got home from work, put food in the dishes and she didn't appear.  I had to run out the door to go check on Mom, so it was another couple of hours before I could begin to search for her.  It was a very surreal experience.


There are times I can almost feel Nozer's silky and luxurious fur, even though he's been gone almost 5 years.  At other times, I can hear Cleo meowing to announce herself before entering a room, and then again when leaving a room.  


Those little furballs got their paws wrapped all the way around my heart, and somehow wormed their way inside; they also made sure there was room for any other future pets to join them there.  Thankfully I'll carry them with me always in memories.