08/08/08
We became parents in 1997. "Our girls", Comet and Casper, were born January 23rd and adopted us 6 weeks later.
Comet was a squiggler from the beginning. Casper was more aloof.
Comet, who is the spitting image of her father, is part Maine Coon, with a very long, fluffy tail, a bit of a mane and pointy ears. Andy wanted an active cat and she hasn't been disappointed with Comet (name defined as: a fast moving body with a tail).
Casper, who is the spitting image of her mother, is a domestic short-hair with a grey tail-tip and skull-cap. For a "short-hair" cat, she sure sheds enough, giving up an average of 1.5 comb-fulls per day (she loves being combed). Casper was, honestly, not named after "the Friendly Ghost".
Comet is "cancer-cat" and Casper is "psycho-cat". Comet has twice had surgery to remove a Sarcoma on her side, attributed to vaccinations. She has been clear for over two years now and continues to spend her days trying to look as cute as possible, while delivering fluff to every square centimetre of our home, including regular contributions to our food. She hates being combed but can be tricked if we team up on her. Casper became "obsessive-compulsive" after a stay, many years ago, at a kitty boarding house. After months of trying different ideas and suggestions on how to cope with her, and becoming so sleep deprived we couldn't put sentences together, it was either put her on Prozac or put her down. High praise to the vet, Dr. Gardiner, who came up with this solution. Casper also helps her sister in her "mission to fluff".
They both have become quite the squigglers.
Both are capable of being bed-hogs, as illustrated here with the sofa bed I was using while under the weather for several days.
Casper loves grass, the kitty-condo.....
...stealing Andy's bean-bag chair.....and will sometimes be mesmerized by their Hagen "Cat-It" fountain for over an hour.
Comet also doesn't mind the condo - as long as there is catnip on it!
Although Casper will only cuddle with us on the bed, Comet's favourite thing is to cuddle beside one of her mamas, preferably on the couch...
...even to our embarrassment.
Comet will often take advantage of the head to head positioning to give your hair a good, long cleaning, with her very rough tongue, whether you need it or not.
Ok, I lied. Comet's actual favourite thing to do is eat. She loves "dessert kibbles", aka Science Diet Hairball Control. Her second favourite thing then is cuddling with mamas. Her third favourite thing is looking cute, closely followed by a forth favourite of sun worshipping.
Andy calls Comet "a Jim Henson creation".
This is Comet on catnip.
She is also our great night-time protector. Once a particular kill is suitably battered and drooled on, a specific howl is sounded to summon one of her mamas to come and tell her what a great huntress she is, accompanied by a rub on the head. Here she is with a double kill.
As you can see these fluffy bugs (we call them the "bugglies") are very dangerous looking!
Comet is also a couch hog - and has always found a need for a pillow...
...even if she has to steal it!
She also gets fed up if we spend too much time at the computer rather than cuddling and is determined to put a stop to it. Doesn't she just look peeved?
One of Casper's favourite things is hiding - and she will get into any space left unguarded.
If not hiding, then perching above will do nicely.
And very high is even better, as Casper loves to watch the goings on.
This is a very rare sight, unless she is in bed above Heather's head, where she demands a tummy rub nightly and at about 6:30 every single morning!
This is not a rarity. You can almost set your watch by "wet food time" in the evening. Casper appears 25 to 15 minutes before it is served and will stare you down - and make sure you know where you are supposed to put her food. There's never any doubt that the left one is her food mat!
An after breakfast love-in you think? No way - this is pre-wrestle.
The girls have never been keen on packaged special treats, but do come begging for tuna water or cooked chicken, and they've snubbed almost every bought toy, aside from the bugglies and their catnip moons - until this.
Serena, from Kitty in the Window Pet Services, our locally hired cat sitter, introduced the girls to the original version of this (without the mouse), and they love it. The little cardboard pieces on the end of the bouncing wire look like some kind of bug buzzing around - and bring out the wild beast in the girls.
Note how Casper's whiskers are at complete attention!
