One of my earlier posts on this blog was about Zach's cat,
Beeker. I realized that I hadn't profiled any of my own kitties, so today, I will introduce Fred to you.
How We Met
He came to me while I was working as a veterinary assistant in Carlisle. I was relatively fresh out of school (PSU), but still living at my parents' house. At the time I only had one cat, Wilbur, who lived with me during my last year at college. (Well, technically, I had several outdoor cats that were also mine, but stayed outside at my parents' house. I didn't count them, though.)
Anyway, one of our clients at the clinic had many farm cats and one day she brought two cute orange kittens in for a visit and I fell in love. And since I only had one cat, I felt that there would be no problem bringing home two more tiny kitties. I was so excited!
Unfortunately, not everyone shared my excitement. Perhaps a small oversight on my part was the fact that I was living at my parents' home and did not ask permission to bring these guys home with me. (Oops..) Needless to say, they were not very welcome and the deal was made that I would have to move out or they would stay strictly in the basement with me (my bedroom). Oh boy...
Well, I did keep them in the basement (for a while) and I did continue to live at home (for an even longer while), but I eventually moved out and took my three boys with me. (I am quite certain my parents had a celebration when this happened and were grateful to be rid of me and my cats. Well, my three cats. Remember, my outdoor cats didn't count...)
The Name Game
The two kittens I brought home were nearly identical boys. They were both orange tiger with a small amount of white on their nose and mouth. Until their names became official, they were known as " 'Stache" and "Half 'Stache." Fred ('Stache) had a full white mustache, while Sam (Half 'Stache) had white on only one side of his mouth.
It took me quite a while to decide on official names for these guys. I actually tried out a number of combinations for weeks at a time. I remember for a while they were Frodo and Sam (from Lord of the Rings). But, eventually it was decided they would officially be known as Fred and Sam. As they matured, everyone still found it difficult to tell them apart, so they were often referred to as "Fat Fred" and "Skinny Sam." (In Fred's defense, he was never fat, but Sam was certainly skinny.)
And as often happens, pets start to get nicknames. I have no idea where it came from, but I started to call Fred, "Bear." Perhaps it's his round face and kind of puffy hair. I don't really know. Regardless, "Bear" then migrated into "Bay - Bay", "B" and "B - B". I know, it's wierd. Anyway...
Cuteness
Fred is a really cute cat (no bias, of course), but many people (no names will be mentioned) feel that he is "mentally challenged." Whatever the reason, I still love him.
Here's his cuteness list:
1. He loves chocolate. Every single time I am eating chocolate, this cat is in my face. I have no idea what the obsession is, because to my knowledge, he has never tasted the stuff and in general, he's not a food-obsessed cat (unlike other cats in my house who will also remain unmentioned). Needless to say, the cat loves chocolate.
2. He is my number one sewing buddy. Now to be fair, all of the cats usually hang out with me during sewing projects, but Fred, by far, is the biggest fan. As soon as fabric gets pulled out, he's right in the middle of it all. He absolutely loves when the fabric is laid out across the floor and he can skate across, rumple it up, or hide underneath it.
3. He loves when I put new sheets on the bed. This kind of goes along with the fabric on the floor idea, I suppose, but he is a major fan of this as well. He literally runs and then slides across the sheets, and then repeats, over and over again. Of course it's also fun when I throw the next layer on top of him and he attacks from under the covers.
4. He loves getting belly rubs. He gets into these adorably cute moods in which he rolls on his back and gives a soft meow asking for a belly rub. Even Zach is a sucker and finds it adorable. I could never describe it well enough, but some of the following pictures illustrate it (I'll need to get some video of it, though).
5. He likes chewing paper. If you let him, he will take a piece of paper and take a huge bite and throw his head back and forth and tear apart the paper. It's a little strange, but I find it cute.
6. He knows how to sit. It took him a while (years, actually), but he consistently does it on command now. He'll never be a trick cat like Beeker, but I'm going to give clicker training a try with him and see how far he can go. We'll see :)
Other Tid Bits About Fred
1. Fred has a stressful life now that Beeker is part of the family. Fred is a pretty timid guy and will not stand up for himself, so Beeker has decided that he is going to beat him up every day... or more. Poor guy...
2. Fred and Sam are still best buds and play together often. However, they never sleep together like many littermates tend to do.
3. He hates being picked up and does not sit in your lap.
4. He has an obsession of staying clean. If you happen to touch him, he will fastidiously groom himself in that area for an extended period of time. It's kinda weird.
5. He does not like staying in a room with a closed door even if everyone (cats and human alike) are in the room with him. He gets a terrified look on his face, he starts meowing, and scratches at the door. (This might impede our training sessions that inevitably need to take place behind closed doors since treats are involved...)
6. He has had only one minor medical problem his entire life - a rodent ulcer in his younger years. Beyond that, his only expenses have been routine preventive medical care. (WOOO HOOO!)
And without further ado...here's my cute boy, Fred, helping with my quilt...
