Today I'm taking a break from discussing Simone's life with CRF. Instead, this post is a retrospective trip to an earlier time in Simone's life when she was frisky, healthy, and alive with possibilities.
In 1990, an amazing Siamese male cat by the name of Cupid died rather quickly of feline leukemia at the age of 8. He was my first Siamese cat, and he introduced me to the unique, playful, talkative, and intelligent world of the Siamese. He left a big hole in the family, so in February 1991 my ex and I decided to get another one. We saw a classified ad in a local newspaper listing Siamese kittens. We went to a small, nondescript house in a nearby city and discovered Simone. We purchased her right away. She was to be my ex's cat and a replacement for Cupid, but, from the moment we arrived home, Simone clung to me and followed me wherever I went. She would attach her sharp, front claws to my pant leg and hoist herself up into my arms or onto my shoulder. She slept curled up next to me under the bed covers purring incessantly. She made it abundantly clear that I was her human, paying little attention to the other humans in the house. Initially, I found her very obnoxious, not being used to a cat clinging to me constantly ... I thought that she had some kind of brain disorder. Eventually, I warmed up to her and accepted the extraordinary attention that she had bestowed on me. We became pals. She acquired nicknames like mowny, mownster, and Queen Siamese. The picture above is Simone at the age of 8 weeks.
In order for Simone to have some company as an indoor-only cat, we decided to get a second kitten. In March 1991, Dorian Gray arrived by airplane. He was a special order Honey Bear Persian kitty ... the breeder claimed that he had some skunk genes in him and that these cats were extra smart and extra big. He didn't look or smell like a skunk and never got to be huge, but he was super intelligent (later he learned about 8 dog tricks), and he was good company for Simone ... they were like brother and sister. At the end of 1991, I received both Simone and Dorian in a custody settlement. The first photo below shows them at 6 months. Notice that Sealpoint Siamese are pretty white as kittens. Dorian lived for 7 years and then he died of liver disease. In the second photo below, you see him and Simone at 4-years of age.
Apart from clinginess, Simone developed some wonderful traits over the years. She greeted me at the door whenever I came home. When I picked her up and held her in my arms, she would place one paw on my shoulder in characteristic fashion ... she still does this today. At a very young age, Simone created a greeting routine with me which she kept up for many years. After picking her up, I would lay her upside down in my hands, hold her out, and then she would do a back flip onto the floor. Amazing! Sometime after she turned ten, she would hide under the bed when I came home. Eventually, I learned what she was trying to tell me ... she was no longer comfortable with the backward flip. After that, she returned to greeting me at the door.
People who know Siamese cats are familiar with their "talking." Simone is no exception. She speaks her mind all the time letting me know how things are with her or she readily communicates her feelings to other cats and dogs. Simone always had a gentle and friendly nature with humans, but if she didn't like another animal, she made it very clear with a growl and a cry. Little Simone at 6 lbs sometimes faced down the ferocious 40-lb American Eskimo dog in the house, and he always backed away from her.
From the time of kitten hood, Simone has always slept with me at night. She would crawl up on my chest, nose-to-nose, and stretch out. Then she would lay down by my side always placing a paw on one of my hands, and then purr herself to sleep. At the time she became sick and to the present, that routine has changed somewhat, and she often likes to sleep by herself. But every once in a while she'll walk up the cat ramp by the bed and join me for the night ... and I know that, in her old age, she still remembers.
Until recent years, Simone was always a great lap cat. If I sat down anywhere, she would find my lap. If anybody visited the house, she would soon find their lap ... always friendly, always sociable, and always curious. Here's Simone at age 10.
Simone has had numerous cat roommates over the years. She has outlived several of them. Presently, she shares the house with Twinkle Toes, a 10-year old tuxedo cat, and Pickles, a 6-year old perennial kitten. The pictures below show them sharing space together.
All for now. Next week I'll address the subject of leaving a sick cat to take a vacation. Purr on cat lovers!!!!!
"When a man wants to murder a tiger, it`s called sport; when a tiger wants to murder him, it`s called ferocity."
George Bernard Shaw
