My 5 Cats

by Leanne

My Al passed away almost a year ago. He lived two years with feline epilepsy. He was a beautiful cat and I miss him still. But I now have five cats: Fred (she's 16 years old), Tabby (Al's sister), Pancho, Splotch, and Smokey. Plus there are two other cats that apparently live in the woods behind the house and come up to eat at night (can't get close enough to touch them yet). Each cat has its own unique personality. I may not be a crazy cat person, but I sure do have a feline frenzy going on at home! From Fred the senior kitty to the mysterious forest dwellers, my house is a regular cat party!

Fred is the boss. She's seen it all and done it all, and takes no crap off of anyone. She picks which food bowl is hers, which napping spot is hers, and so forth. No one messes with her. She's white with black/gray spots and sheds hair like crazy. She was the kitten of a stray that wandered up in our yard many years ago, so she's been with us since she was born. Her name is "Fred" because we thought she was a boy for the first few weeks of her life. She had us fooled! Despite her tough exterior, Fred is actually a softie at heart. She may rule the roost, but she's also known to curl up in my lap for a good snuggle.

Tabby is goofy. She's 3 years old and still acts like a kitten. We've had her since she was a kitten, as she was one of a litter of 6 that included Al. She's always wanting to play or fight (or play fight). She's fun to watch. She's much smaller than Al was - a really tiny cat with a shorter than average tail. But she's a beautiful tabby cat. She aggravates all of the other cats incessantly and I'm pretty sure they all hate her - especially Smokey. But she doesn't care. Despite her small size, Tabby has the heart of a lion when it comes to annoying her fellow feline companions. She's like the mischievous younger sibling that never gives up the poking and prodding.

Pancho is our only male cat, now that Al is gone. He's a beautiful cat - white with tabby markings; tabby tail with a white tip. We have had him since he was a kitten, also. He's a lazy cat. Sleeps most of the time. Doesn't like to be petted or held, but "talks" a lot. He used to have a very deep meow, but for the past year or so his voice has been raspy, as though he has a cold. Not sure why since he's perfectly healthy. Despite being a lazy cat who sleeps most of the time, Pancho is still the center of attention with his quirky personality and raspy 'conversations.'

Splotch is a rescue. Our neighbor found her up a tree trying to escape her dogs and thought she was one of ours. We went to get her but she wasn't one of ours - but she is now. She fit in nicely with our other cats, although she's a loner who likes to lie on the roof of the shed. She is best friends with our dog, Shirley - they're thick as thieves, those two. Shirley grooms her every night. She is a beautiful multi-colored cat with tortoiseshell markings and piercing eyes. She also has a goofy side that comes out in the evenings. Splotch may be a loner, but she's got plenty of pals in our furry family!

Smokey is our newest rescue. I heard a kitten meowing one night and found him on our front porch. Still don't know where he came from. He showed up not long after Al died. He gets along well with everyone except Pancho and Tabby. He and Tabby have an especially tumultuous relationship. I think they secretly love each other and the fighting is their way of playing, but I'm not 100% sure about that. Smokey may have started out as a mysterious meowing on my front porch, but he's straight-up grown into a majestic, solid-gray feline who's got some drama with Pancho and Tabby. Their relationship is like a soap opera!

One of our strays has a majestic mane of a fluffy, long, orange hair. The other is a dashing tuxedo cat in black and white. I'm on a mission to win their affection!

So that's our cat family as it stands right now. Looks like I've hit crazy cat lady status since I now run a shop specializing in cat-themed merchandise. But I'm totally owning it!

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Shop for cat-themed and epilepsy-awareness merchandise here: www.EpiAl.shop