We interrupt this blog for cat photos. Because, you know. Cats.

We’re occupied with house projects right now and I’ll no doubt share some photos once we’re done. For the time being, let’s have some kitty pics.

Because… *drum roll*… we adopted a kitty!

About a month ago, a friend from church found a stray kitten near their home. (Actually, it fell out of their tree.)

It was a sweet thing and terribly hungry. She sent me a picture:

Lady grey 5

In truth, she sent me several.

She was wondering if our Merricat needed a friend.

Merricat 6

I neglected to mention this before, but during the summer we had to say farewell to Dog.

WP_20140305_15_53_40_Pro[1]
Our sweet Freckles. What she lacked in obedience, she made up for in love and wet kisses.
After her passing, Merricat made it clear: she did not like being alone. When I’d come home from work, she’d run to the door in a manner most unbecoming a cat.

Then she’d flop to the floor dramatically and meow.

Merricat

We considered getting another dog, though we didn’t want to rush into anything. I brought up getting a second cat because, you know. Cats.

But again, no rush.

Here’s another photo Church Friend sent:

Lady grey 2

I have to admit, I’ve always had a thing for gray cats. Not sure why, exactly. They just have a smoky allure to them.

We decided on a Meet and Greet with Merricat.

Merricat and lady grey
Their first meeting

Merricat was interested, yet cautious. Meanwhile, I fell in love within the first two seconds.

We invited her to move in with us. She accepted.

Here she is, our Lady Grey…

lady grey 1

Don’t you love her white bib and gloves? I think it gives her a genteel quality.

Fortunately, Merricat accepted her new companion easily and by the third day was cleaning her.Merricat and lady grey 2

This delighted our Lady to no end. We could hear her purring from across the room.

Oh – here’s an interesting fact about our Lady Grey: she’s a Hemingway cat.

Lady grey 3

Notice her paws?

Here’s a close-up.

lady grey paws

She’s polydactyl. Meaning she has extra toes. Most cats have five on the front paws and four on the back, for a total of 18. Lady Grey has 6 on every paw.

It’s a genetic anomaly and doesn’t cause them any problems; it’s just one of those things. And many people find it rather charming. (As do I.)

Hemingway was particularly fond of polydactyl cats and had several. In fact, he had so many that had he been a woman, we would have questioned his sanity.

Okay, sorry, I can’t let this one go by…

*climbs on soapbox*

Please explain to me why it is a man can live by himself somewhere on the Florida Keys with something like 50 cats, and we’re all, like, oh-my-god-he’s-such-a-genius and isn’t it endearing how much he loved cats?!

Seriously?!

You KNOW that would never have been the case had it been, say, Edith Wharton or Pearl S. Buck!

Ugghhhh!

It’s that kind of crap that just really chaps my hide!

*raises fist in air* 

WE SHALL OVERCOME!!!

*steps off soapbox*

*checks hair in mirror*

Okay, so anyway, on account of him lovin’ on those cats so much, people often refer to polydactyls as Hemingway cats.

Meaning not only is our Lady Grey genteel, she’s also literary.

Lady grey computer

So should any of my future blog posts take on a rather feline quality, you’ll know why.

It’ll probably be an improvement. Because, you know. Cats.

 

 

38 thoughts on “We interrupt this blog for cat photos. Because, you know. Cats.”

    1. Cats are very photogenic, I find. I think it comes from their extreme confidence and sense of self.

      And yes, it was a sad day when our Freckles took her leave. She lived a good long life and chased many a squirrel, that’s the main thing. 🐶

  2. Excellent post on cats and sorry on your dog… he looked like a happy pup. Did you know I am only allergic to one kind of cat… calico? And why do I mention that small fact? Because you know. Cats!

  4. Congrats on the new addition! I’m more of a dog person than a cat person for sure, but Lady Grey is absolutely darling. Love the pic of the two of them sitting on the chair together. So sweet!

    1. I’m really equal parts dog/cat person. Can’t see myself without either, frankly.
      As for the two in the chair, I sent the photo to my daughter and she said we needed to get a smaller white cat. Then we’d have a gradient! 😀

    1. Isn’t that something? We had adopted Merricat from a shelter and we knew she had been in a foster home with other animals. Even so, we were surprised (and grateful) how easily the two bonded.

    1. Aren’t they though?! At first we thought she was going to be a big cat, but then I remembered reading about Hemingway cats. That’s when I counted her toes! 😀

  8. Love the rant, too! You’re so funny.😂 It’s hard when you lose a pet and one is alone like Merricat. They appreciate our company, but it isn’t the same as having another furry friend in the house. I’m sticking with dogs for now, but I’ve had many cats and like them, too. Hadn’t heard about Hemingway and his cats before. Interesting…..🤔

    1. Ah, I’m so glad you appreciated the rant! Hate to waste those soapbox moments. 😉
      Yes, losing a beloved pet is never easy. The last time we had two dogs and one passed away, the other one was disconsolate, to the point I was rather worried about her. Then by happenstance we got a kitten and she perked right up. These funny pets of ours!

  11. I didn’t know polydactyls were also known as Hemingway cats, or that he was such a cat person. (So much for being a cat guru. Guess I’ll have to turn in my cat adoption counselor badge.)

    But then I’ve never paid much attention to Hemingway.

    Lucky your cats bonded so quickly. It probably helps that Merricat was used to sharing her turf with a friend and was lonely for a new one.

    Did you know the formal types call grey cats blue? I have no idea why. Maybe some bigshot classifier dude back in the day was colorblind.

    1. Oh yeah, I read that! One of the gray breeds is called Russian Blue — so maybe it was a bigshot classifier Russian dude who named them.
      The reason I knew about the Hemingway connection was an article a few years back during hurricane season. The Florida Keys were getting slammed and people were worried about the cats. You’ll note, no one was worried about the people. Just the cats.
      By the way, the cats were fine. Because, you know. Cats.

  13. Cute and interesting post, Christi. We love cats, but can’t have them now that we travel so much. While in Holland this month, a little black one-eyed cat came over to visit our apartment on a regular basis. Because he was so sweet, we named him Tompouce after a popular Dutch dessert. Lady Grey sure is a beautiful and lucky cat!

    1. We have a couple young women who house-sit for us whenever we travel and take care of our pets, so it works out great. And when they found out we adopted a kitten, they tried to talk us into taking a vacation! 🙂

  14. First, you know about Scotch, so a post involving both cats and the passing of a pet, well, I went THERE for a little bit, had a moment, but now I’m back. I’m sure you recognize the moment. Cheers to Freckles.

    Second, it does not surprise me at all that you would take in a cat that fell out of a tree. Perfect. (Also perfect? Your rant. Loved it.)

    Third, I can’t recall if I have mentioned this in an official blog post or only in comments, but we are now tending to a feral family of cats who consider our back patio to be home base. Momma gave birth in one of the cast-iron doored storage areas of this massive barbecue built into said patio, a facility that we never use (long story, details later) at the end of August. Since it was so hot then, we couldn’t help but make sure Momma had plenty of fresh water and food while she nursed them, so she wouldn’t have to scavenge in the heat.

    Momma thought that was rather festive, and the brood stuck around. End result, we are still feeding Momma and 4 very hyperactive offspring. (Watching the young uns run around through the falling fall leaves? Oh my.) And now that the nights are getting very cold (in the mid-20s the last few days), I raced out and bought a heating pad designed specifically for cats who stay outdoors, and we shoved that into the “kitty condo” we built out of a bulky storage bin we had insulated with old towels and whatnot.

    Why am I sharing all this? Not sure. Probably because the kidlets are getting old enough that we have to make a decision about capturing them and taking them to a shelter. (We can’t take Momma, as she is clearly feral and will not get adopted. The kidlets might.) So this is weighing heavy on my heart, as I watch the young uns scamper through the leaves, unaware of the possible tomorrows…

    1. *Gasp*
      No, you’ve not mentioned the kidlets, at least not that I’ve seen. My heart goes out to your dilemma, as it does to Momma and her offspring.
      As I write this, Lady Grey is curled up on a red chenille throw next to me. It’s her favorite place to sleep and I’m sure you can appreciate the aesthetic of a gray cat on a red blanket, yes? I’m absolutely certain that’s why she chooses it, as she is a cat of fine taste.
      The reason I’m telling you this? Perhaps to make your decision a little easier with the thought that one day those little kidlets will find a forever home with a blanket of their own to curl up on, all due to your noble decision to assist. ❤️

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