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So I've recently done an overhaul to my YouTube channel and looking at the videos I made, I found my cat videos didn't really fit in with "my style" and so, I've decided to do make a webpage for my cats.
So...the first one I ever had
I remember getting him when I was 4 and had just come home from kindergarten (I think) and he sort of qualifies as my "childhood pet" to me. I remember playing with him as a kid, watching him grow old and dying. The worst part of the latter is it wasn't old age or anything like that, it was a dog attack. That just felt like an unnecessary kick in the guts. However, to talk about his personality, especially when my family started getting new cats, he had this energy of being the "boss." Like "new cats? This is MY household! Fall in line to what I want NOW!" (it was common whenever we got a new cat that he'd react badly for a while but then mellow out to them) I feel that image might be laughable but he and 3 others managed to take on a Bulterrier and win so...can't argue that it didn't work! Among humans, he was that of a "polite beggar" especially with food. One paw up. "I am a lame cat. Now GIMMIE THE FOOD!" With pats...whenever he slept on my bed, he'd beg for pats from me when I was just tired and wanted to go to sleep. Yeah, 16 years, a cat who very definitely left a permenant impression on not just the family but the other cats (the hierarchal nature of "head cat" is still alive in the house, even after his death. I'll point out the cat when I get to him), and yet his begging and his co-ordinated attack on a bulterrier is what I remember...
Brief biography of this cat - he was found dumped in a park near my family house and with no real idea of what to do or where to go, our family decided to adopt him. As much as his time in our family was short (I'll get to that in a minute), what I remember is he was quite a "character cat." When he was young, he used to do "zoomies" from one side of the house to the other regularly. That and when we first fed him, we realized he had a "scream meow." He'd then go on to growl quite loudly when he had food. Honestly, I think there was a part of me that saw him as insane. He DID mellow the older he got. However, what defines my memories of him the most is his headbutts. Its actually quite common if you've never had cats. It's a way they show affection. However, the force of which he did it...I remember as a teen thinking he cracked my skull. It was like a punch. (I used to avoid his headbutts where I could if I had a headache). Pattern emerges - my cats are most known for weird personality quirks. The sad thing about this cat is that he disappeared one day. We never knew what happened. Hence the "?" in the date of death as...I know by NOW he'd be dead, I just can't confirm that date is accurate.
This cat is honestly one of the more "classicly catlike" cats I've ever had. He was aloof, very "self serving" and despite a soft meow, could get violent when needed (he once took on a curlew and won!). My earliest memories of him not related to buying him was related to my first year or so of High School. He wasn't allowed out for a long time and when I'd have a particularly bad day, a cuddle with him would center me (that happened quite often, by the way). That said, his health took a turn for the worse in 2020 when he had his first epileptic seizure. Once my family found out that was going to be a common occurrence, his life became a daily mix of pills and never REALLY being allowed out of the house. At all. I still cared for him and loved him but he just became a very "hands on" cat. He also at one point had a brain issue in 2021 (I was isolating from COVID at the time so I don't know how well that went). Then he took a turn for the worse in 2022 when he got a blood clot. That was when I decided for my family that his quality of life was only getting worse so...yeah. He became the first cat we euthanized. I actually was "the human that cared for him." The thing was the 2 years or so I did that, I really hated the state my life was in but I didn't really give myself credit for self worth. Caring for him, in a weirdly morbid way, helped.
This was the way I tried to "tribute" these cats on my YouTube channel. The fact I didn't film them is one of the biggest mistakes I think I've ever made. This was my best attempt to not only rectify that but make sure it had a way of staying relevant. (Also the fact it's on here means copyrighted music is no longer an issue)
Now the date of birth MIGHT throw you off with him. After Jasper disappeared, I remember my family wanted a new cat to get over the grief. He was a year old and...easily the most affectionate cat I've ever owned and am probably ever likely to own. He curled up into a ball on my lap when we were sitting with the breeder to choose different cats. That has bled over into the time we've known him. I swear there are times where he meows at humans who are just walking past him. Like "you're in my general vecinity, WHY NO PAT?!" He also gets very cold in winter and so cuddles up to me when I sleep. He's also quite good at looking out for other cats. He's also the "head cat" after Congy died. He will seriously spring into action when he hears a disturbance or something going wrong. That, to me, just speaks to a very large metaphorical heart. He is everyone's and loves those who love in return and there's something very admirable about that.
Now, like Jai, we got him in 2011 but unlike Jai he was a kitten then. The weird thing about him is that the other cats I've talked about so far, when getting to a certain age, did kind of mellow out and behave "older." Dante never did that. He's more of a chirpy little "human want cute cat! I'm cute cat! Human! Human! Human!" sort of thing (watch the video and you'll see what I mean). I think its a case of "middle child syndrome." Thinking he's stuck between the cute ones and the elders. That said, I think that chirpy youth he has is actually his most memorable and best quality. HE CAN sometimes not know his limits (clawing and biting and the like), however, I do my best to make him feel loved.
Razzy was originally bought for my grandfather in 2015 after we had a family Christmas and he was so taken by Jai's affection that he wanted a cat. Thing was that said cat was so hyper that my grandfather who had 3 strokes at that time couldn't keep up with him, so we took him in. This one is very much a "depending on the weather" kind of cat. Sometimes I can walk up to him and pat him for hours. Sometimes if he's within 5 feet of me, he has to scarper. That sort of cat. I know that's "a cat being a cat" but I hesitate to describe him the same way as Humphrey though as Razzy can be more openly affectionate.
We got him in 2016 a few days after Congy's death. Usually, I can be upfront about the ages of the other cats. The thing with him is...I don't actually know. See if this sounds familiar - we found him as a homeless cat nearby to the park after apparently having been dumped. It was actually worse than Jasper though as Chappie was a full grown cat (Jasper was a kitten when we found him) and had parts of his whiskers and one of his eyebrows burnt off as well as flea ridden fur. Fast forward to now and all of that has changed for the better. He's a housecat now. The only things that make it clear that was his origins is that he licks a human whenever he's pet. Like if you show him any affection at all, he's going to appreciate it. The other is...he's still the skilled hunter. Many is the time I have to go out of my room to find him eating a dead rat (I love my cats but I can't deny they are sometimes VERY disgusting).