Monday, June 27, 2011

Mr. Pickles

I can remember the first time I heard about Mr. Pickles, a maine coon looking phantom of a cat. He was described as being a silly, whimsical cat who had the strange habit of emulating a racoon's style of running, with his tail lifted. I had the pleasure of encountering this cat myself on a few rare occasions and I was left with the distinct impression that I had met a very unique cat.

I was surprised to find Mr. Pickles outside enjoying a warm day, completely docile. Never before had be allowed me to get so close.

We must have caught him at the right time of day, during his hour of rest and lounging.

I believe that Mr. Pickles spends the majority of his time indoors, with a good old fashioned nuclear family. His quirkiness has probably developed as a response to living with children. That is my theory, at least. In any case, I was real glad to finally have a pet session with this peculiar cat!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Ouzo

And now we finally come to the friendly and mysterious, rotund and compact, black but kind of red in the sun cat that the human world knows simply as "Ouzo".

Presumably named after the Greek liqueur, Ouzo was the first cat in Portland that I got on a first name basis with. His owner strolled by during my initial petting of the cat and nonchalantly uttered the words, "that's Ouzo". From that point on, the cat and I have encountered each other often, each time with ceremonious meowing, petting and purring.

Here's Ouzo in one of his favorite places, kneading my man hair. Ouzo resides about two blocks from where I live, so I encounter him frequently - and at all hours. He loves a good sunny day, but he has also presented himself to me, most unexpectedly, in the dark hours that follow last call.

Ouzo is a cat of a different order, that is no doubt. His eyes are quite expressive, in a manner which seems closer to human that the majority of cats that I meet. On occasion I'll wonder if I am actually interacting with a shape shifting human. I have yet to meet another cat whose personality has led me to considerations of that nature.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Memphis

This is Memphis, a cat with whom I have maintained a steady rapport. He lives right around the corner and up the street a bit from me; it is a small wonder that he did not end up on this blog some time ago.



It's next to impossible for me to sneak past his house without him seeing or smelling me and running out to greet me. Once when I tried to avoid him by walking on the other street, he came running and meowing at intervals of about a half dozen cat steps. I picked him up and it was then that an older human neighbor of Memphis declared from a rocking chair on her porch, "That cat has passed through this realm many times!"

According to Memphis' human he is sixteen years old, yet in spite of this he still seems as bright eyed and vital as ever. However, when I apply my specialized cat massage to Memphis, he has a tendency to close his eyes and allow droplets of drool seep out of the ends of his mouth. He seems to enjoy the massage quite a bit more than other cats do.

I always find something to appreciate about every cat that I meet, some have more admirable qualities than others. But Memphis holds a special distinction to me, he is one of my few "cat bros". I try to see him regularly and occasionally bring him a bit of catnip or a small can of food.

There is another cat bro in my hood. He will be featured in next week's post.