The Cats

For the sake of being interesting, and in case any of Brian's friends check this, I will be introducing you all to my family, a little bit at a time. These are our current cats. We have had so many I can't keep track, but the coyotes have taken a big toll on the family. The current group has finally relented to staying in doors, but Sid and Radha are allowed out because they actually come back inside when called.

Siddhartha (Sid)

Sid is 9 years old. He stared at me so intently from his cage at the pound that I noticed him from 15 feet away. He tore his litter box up with frustration that he could not get to me from inside. He came home and has since become known as the best cat on the planet. Seriously. His little fangs hang out when he looks at you, and despite his mammoth size, he makes this adorable little meow when I talk to him. He loves the dogs and is afraid of no one. He is a benevolent ruler over the other cats, and none of them mess with him...ever.

Radha

Radha came home at the same time as Sid, but we don't know how old she is. We were leaving the pound when we saw a man surrendering her, still inside the kitty trap he'd used to catch her. He assured her she would never tame down and that she would grow to be bobcat sized. Alas, she let me pet her two days later and has the loudest purr. She never got any bigger either, and today is one of our smallest. She is still a little skitish around strangers and my dad, but she kicks kitty butt and has evaded the coyotes, probably because she has never fully tamed down. She loves my mom, and whenever Mom goes out of town, Radha goes outside and won't come back until she returns.

Sylvester

Sylvester also came from the pound, sick and middle aged so that no one wanted him. Mom fell in love and we added him to the family. He is a fairly irritable creature, but he loves being brushed, and paws you if you stop petting him. He had a near death experience a few years ago when he escaped from the house and tried running through the dog yard. He hated us for two months because we had to treat him and medicate him twice a day, but he made it and has decided we can live.

Hissy Fit (Hissy)

Hissy's family moved to Arizona and left her for the vet to give away. It took us about 5 minutes to figure out why. She lunged at the cage door hissing, teeth bared, and then hid for weeks. Eventually she became extremely social, and is always the first to jump on the laps of our guests, Unfortunately, we have to tell them not to touch her or make fast motions because she bites, somewhat randomly. She's taken to biting and then squinting her eyes to prepare for being whapped. She doesn't run away though. She's like the autistic kid in the class. The other cats just keep away.

DD (short for Durga's Darling, which is a longer story than the name, so we'll just stick with DD)

DD was given to my mom as a kitten, and she was fabulous friends with Sasha, another kitty that came from the pound. Sasha loved my mom and dealt with DD, and ruled the front yard until the coyotes got her. Ever since then, all the cats beat up DD and she has to scurry from room to room, hiding under the furniture along the way. She loves my mom and makes this totally weird meow when you are not paying her adequate amounts of attention. She also tries to steal the food right off your fork. But seeing as how everyone is so mean to her, we just let her be bad out of sympathy.

Sodako (Soda or Soda-Pop)

Soda is about a year old, and came to us as the most precocious 3 month old ever. She is afraid of nothing, except maybe Isaac, but secretly I think she enjoys getting beat up by him. She is loud, in your face, and totally adorable.

Sir Isaac Newton (Isaac)

Isaac was supposed to go live with my mom's friend after a month, and was one of 7 cats my mom placed for a friend. We were only going to keep Katsu because we already had too many. But of curse, he ended up being so friendly and good at killing rodents that we had to keep him, even though he does terrorize DD and occasionaly Soda. He LOVES people and I am teaching him to speak when he wants attention. Good kitty!

Katsurata (Katsu or Katsomoto, depending on who you ask in the family)

Katsu is Isaac's brother or something. We kept him because he looks cool and is pretty sweet. However, I don't imagine he is going to spend much time on our laps until he gets older. He just says hi and rubs against you as he passes by in the hallway. He likes to climb things, and eat the house plants. He also likes to sleep.