Hi! I'm new, kind of.
I think I was briefly a member in the past (but that might actually have been a different forum, I can't remember, so sorry
) but only posted once or twice and was then just a lurker for a short time - hoping to stay and be a poster this time!
I'm Juliet.
I'm from Toronto, ON and I have seven kitties.
The oldest is Meeko, a black and white DSH. He'll be 16 on 3 June. He's the nicest, most sociable and loving little guy ever. He's extremely tuned into people's emotions, especially mine, and has such a kind heart that he tries to comfort anyone who's upset with face rubs/head butts/purring, it's pretty amazing how intuitive he is about it. He's very easygoing and laid back, but also very playful and energetic well into his teens, until recently. He and I have an extra close bond. Unfortunately he's having some difficulty with his health right now - he was diagnosed with a hyper thyroid when he was 13 and did wonderfully on a moderate dose of Tapazole until this January, when his levels skyrocketed
suddenly and we had to double his dosage. Since then we've been having a hard time coping with the side effects of the extra medication, specifically vomiting (unfortunate catch 22: the side effects of the medication make him vomit, so he's not keeping down all the medication he should, which would stop the vomiting if he was
and our vet is very reluctant to use the topical version of Tapazole because she feels it would be inferior for him) and with weight gain. It's been very touch-and-go, improvements and then setbacks, more improvement, then another setback, etc. Currently he's having a rough time, and I'm feeling a bit panicked - I've had Meeko since I was 11 years old and he was five weeks old, and I can't imagine life without him any more so this is hard, especially seeing him ill.
Yikes, sorry so long (and to sound whiney, great first impression there), but I wanted to share this because I will probably seek advice here from time to time about it (secondary to the vet's advice, of course!).
Next is Phineas; he's a white and black DSH, 10.5 years old. He's very strange in a great way. He's extremely friendly, uber-affectionate, and loves to be snuggled. He's totally malleable physically; he's happy to completely relax blissfully in a variety of odd positions as long as he's getting affection (dude insists on sleeping with his head on my pillow, spooning with me, every night
). We suspect he may have a Ragdoll somewhere in his ancestry (I adopted him from the humane society when he was 3.5 so we don't know anything about his history) because his behaviour is almost identical to that of a Ragdoll, and his frame and body type are very similar (he weighs 17 lbs but is not overweight, just big!). His colouring and coat (which is amazing, his fur feels like a rabbit's!) are totally DSH, though, so not a recent ancestor.
He's very talkative as well, and has a huge range of different meows, chirps, trills, groans, etc.
He's just completely unique.
Third kitty is Saskia, who's an 8 year old black DSH. She is truly the sweetest thing ever. Very gentle and placid and "polite" (she's never done a single naughty thing since coming home, literally!) and just a friendly, affectionate sweetheart. And beautiful! She has a gorgeous, soft coat, and the prettiest mannerisms. She was adopted at 3.5 years old from the city shelter and it was amazing how perfectly she fit with us immediately. She's so charming, I just adore her, she's a doll.
Then there's Henry, AKA "The Bug", because when he came home from the Humane Society at a year old he was so thin but had huge eyes - he looked like one of those close-up pictures of an insect.
He's a 7.5 year old orange tabby DSH, and such a cool guy. He's a little, um, eccentic (screaming at the walls for an hour, seemingly at random, is a hobby of Henry's - and yes, of course we brought his eccentricities up with the vet, but after some monitoring they established that he's healthy, just has some "personality quirks" as they phrased it
) but also very affectionate and loving. No matter what he's doing, if you call him, he'll come running onto your lap and fall onto his side to be pet while purring like mad. Just a really cool guy.
Next up, Zinnia, a 5 year old DSH tortoiseshell adopted as an 8 week old kitten from the Humane Society. She's gorgeous and very refined and dainty, but whoa does she have the typical "tortitude"! Walk past her too closely, and prepare to be rapidly slapped on the head 5 or 6 times for offending her.
She has her sweet moments, though, if you're on her good side
and deigns to offer us her affection (in the form of rolling around demanding a belly rub and grabbing you by the hand if you leave before she's decided you may) regularly. She's very confident, obviously.
She's also extremely clever, extremely enterprising (she's taught herself how to open closed doors, how to open the bread box, how to untie a shoelace, how to slide open the windows, and various other useful undertakings) and extremely resourceful - she learned to stand for a minute+ at a time with perfect balance as a kitten, I suppose because it's useful in some of her other endeavours. I love her personality, she's awesome.
Kitty #6 is Oliver, who's a year old today! He's a DSH, and his colouring is a bit difficult to describe - at first glance he's a solid blue-ish/charcoal-ish gray, but up close you can see that he's actually a tabby, his stripes are just too faint to be obvious unless he's close to you! His paws are a subtle silver colour, and he has a large but sleek, solid frame, he's really a goregous cat, everyone remarks on him. Like with Phinny, we suspect a potential ancestor of a specific breed, in Oliver's case, a Korat, but again, a distant one. He's very affectionate and lovey - he'll hop on the couch, come to one of us (my roommate/friend and I, that is) and climb up with his paws on our chest to rub his face against ours, head butt us, and give kisses, then hop down after a couple of minutes, run to the other and do the same, and then repeat that several times so no one feels left out.
He's also very strong-willed and stubborn and determined, and is definitely the alpha cat (though he steers clear of Zinnia most of the time
and seems to understand that Meeko is old and not well and will step back and let Meeko do as he pleases/won't pester him), despite only arriving here last June at nine weeks old (he was no longer wanted by a friend of a friend
so my friend brought him to my attention, the crazy cat lady being the obvious person to approach of course
and I'd lost my beloved 13.5 year old cat 6 month earlier and was feeling ready for a new addition, so he joined the family). He's wildly energetic, but it's hard to tell if that's age or a permanent trait. Hoping for the latter.
Oh, and he's a TV addict, seriously!
He frequently sits on the couch and watches television with us, and will watch for a couple hours at a time! And while he prefers shows with animals and nature sounds (Meerkat Manor is his favourite, I think) he'll watch anything - last night he watched an hour-long documentary about corruption in Nigeria!
And fiiiiiinally, Ichabod! He's the last addition, and an absolute darling. He's a 7 month old DSH tabby - orange, technically, but kind of a peachy, tan-ish colour, we can't decide what to call it - who came home at 6 weeks old. His situation was exactly the same as Oliver's pretty much, acquaintance of a different friend was going to dump him as the last of a litter of kittens, the only one not adopted, and I was the obvious candidate again
- gave me more pause this time, but ultimately I decided that I could afford one more financially and otherwise, and I liked the idea of a buddy for Oliver - in the past having pairs the same age who grow up together has been really nice - so here he is, but sadly if there's a next time, I'll have to say no, I've reached my responsible limit) but that said, I'm SO glad I went for it, he's such a delightful cat. He's the most friendly, sociable cat I've ever known, both with people and other cats. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the cats aren't eager to have him snuggle with them (they don't dislike him, aside from Zinnia, who dislikes everyone, just can't be bothered with a kitten) which he desperately wants. He and Oliver are best friends and partners in crime and very bonded (I'm SO glad they have one another), but Oliver prefers to wrestle and chase. Phineas can't be bothered with other cats; he doesn't fear them, nor show them aggression, he's just totally indifferent and prefers people. Saskia is suspicious of him because of his close association with Oliver - whose rambunctiousness is distasteful to her - and walks away if he tries to lie next to her, and Zinnia, well, ha!
Meeko and Henry are the only two who are willing to socialise with him. Meeko has always been very nurturing and appointed himself responsible for raising Zinnia, but he is D-O-N-E with kittens now - he's too nice to hurt Ichabod's feelings, though, so he grudgingly lets Ichabod snuggle and groom him - his obvious disdain is actually kind of funny, but he makes Ichabod soooooooo happy - you can hear him (Ichabod, not Meeko) purring from across the room. Henry sometimes lets him hang out as well and gets the same reaction. Ichabod also loves to meet new people, and loves to socialise with us; he runs to the door when he hears my roommate coming, and I assume does the same when he hears me because he's always right there. If he's not with Meeko, he's with us and has to be involved with whatever we're doing. Yesterday, for example, I planted some vegetables (in pots, to grow indoors in our little greenhouse) and he sat on one of the chairs at the kitchen table where I was working the entire time, watching (only tried to touch once, and when I stopped him, he didn't try again, he's very docile like that) and "chatting" with me - he loves to talk and has the funniest meow; he's a small, thin guy (not in an unhealthy way, just a small-framed cat) but he has a very deep, hoarse meow that's hilarious coming from him. He's extremely visually-oriented in general, even for a cat, I mean. Something simple will catch his eye - the cord for the window shade waving in the breeze, for example - and he'll watch with utter fascination in his eyes, but he's totally calm, he never tries to chase or play with whatever is enthralling him, just watches. He's so gentle and just has a really fun little personality.
Whew, I'm sorry for the novel! Obviously I enjoy talking about my kitties... maybe a little too much.
Not sure if most people - or anyone! - will get through all that blabbing (understandably!), but anyway, I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone and their kitties!
I'm Juliet.
The oldest is Meeko, a black and white DSH. He'll be 16 on 3 June. He's the nicest, most sociable and loving little guy ever. He's extremely tuned into people's emotions, especially mine, and has such a kind heart that he tries to comfort anyone who's upset with face rubs/head butts/purring, it's pretty amazing how intuitive he is about it. He's very easygoing and laid back, but also very playful and energetic well into his teens, until recently. He and I have an extra close bond. Unfortunately he's having some difficulty with his health right now - he was diagnosed with a hyper thyroid when he was 13 and did wonderfully on a moderate dose of Tapazole until this January, when his levels skyrocketed
Next is Phineas; he's a white and black DSH, 10.5 years old. He's very strange in a great way. He's extremely friendly, uber-affectionate, and loves to be snuggled. He's totally malleable physically; he's happy to completely relax blissfully in a variety of odd positions as long as he's getting affection (dude insists on sleeping with his head on my pillow, spooning with me, every night
Third kitty is Saskia, who's an 8 year old black DSH. She is truly the sweetest thing ever. Very gentle and placid and "polite" (she's never done a single naughty thing since coming home, literally!) and just a friendly, affectionate sweetheart. And beautiful! She has a gorgeous, soft coat, and the prettiest mannerisms. She was adopted at 3.5 years old from the city shelter and it was amazing how perfectly she fit with us immediately. She's so charming, I just adore her, she's a doll.
Then there's Henry, AKA "The Bug", because when he came home from the Humane Society at a year old he was so thin but had huge eyes - he looked like one of those close-up pictures of an insect.
Next up, Zinnia, a 5 year old DSH tortoiseshell adopted as an 8 week old kitten from the Humane Society. She's gorgeous and very refined and dainty, but whoa does she have the typical "tortitude"! Walk past her too closely, and prepare to be rapidly slapped on the head 5 or 6 times for offending her.
Kitty #6 is Oliver, who's a year old today! He's a DSH, and his colouring is a bit difficult to describe - at first glance he's a solid blue-ish/charcoal-ish gray, but up close you can see that he's actually a tabby, his stripes are just too faint to be obvious unless he's close to you! His paws are a subtle silver colour, and he has a large but sleek, solid frame, he's really a goregous cat, everyone remarks on him. Like with Phinny, we suspect a potential ancestor of a specific breed, in Oliver's case, a Korat, but again, a distant one. He's very affectionate and lovey - he'll hop on the couch, come to one of us (my roommate/friend and I, that is) and climb up with his paws on our chest to rub his face against ours, head butt us, and give kisses, then hop down after a couple of minutes, run to the other and do the same, and then repeat that several times so no one feels left out.
And fiiiiiinally, Ichabod! He's the last addition, and an absolute darling. He's a 7 month old DSH tabby - orange, technically, but kind of a peachy, tan-ish colour, we can't decide what to call it - who came home at 6 weeks old. His situation was exactly the same as Oliver's pretty much, acquaintance of a different friend was going to dump him as the last of a litter of kittens, the only one not adopted, and I was the obvious candidate again
Whew, I'm sorry for the novel! Obviously I enjoy talking about my kitties... maybe a little too much.
