Rather than a picture of this somewhat frazzled human, I introduce:

KATE

Kate is a 9 year old pet quality sable Burmese who fanciers herself to be Amelia Earhart. She was given to me by my daughter and son who had decided I had been cat-less for far too long, and needed someone to talk to other than myself and various walls. The presentation was dramatic. Kate at 4 months, was brought into the house in a pillowcase, flew out, and I was for a split second sure "it" was a bat. (There are some good reasons for my children to gift me with a bat, but this is not the place for family confessions.)

She ruled the house (and still does) from tops of doors and bookcases. Crashes were and continue to be plentiful; furniture develops fringe and lace as time goes on; newspapers are shredded and books are sat upon while I try to read; when she was a kitten, a phone call was a major reason for threatening demands of attention. She has, I am happy to say, given up this phobia. Totally adorable as she was in calmer kitten moments, clearly Ms. Hepburn needed a co-star, and so after a year, enter

SPENCER

Mr. Tracy is the same age and from the same cattery. He swaggered into the house thinking he would take charge of this errant female. It didn't quite turn out as he planned. They have a working arrangement, and hold board meetings each morning to decide who will be CEO for a day, get the prime spot in the sun and instigate the first chase.

Spencer is Kate's ground mechanic. He has a slight beer belly, probably chews cigars and spits when I am not watching, cheers Kate on when she becomes airborne, then scratches wherever, and stares up at her with much perplexity.

They have their occasional spats, some very impressive. When, perhaps like old married couples, frustrations have been pent up for weeks, there is an eruption - in their case a flurry of hissing, growling, really obscene language, flying fur, and ballooning tails. But after the fur floats down to form still another soft layer on the floors, an understanding is always reached and K&S resume their most frequent position, that of forming a two headed, two tailed, indistinguishable except for the contrast of gold/greengold eyes, mass of dark brown fur with feet sticking out all over the place. Mingling purrs, dreaming, but plotting. Always plotting...

To see a Burm of a different color, visit my daughter's Bailey

For more on fabulous felines,
Go to the Fanciers List

or to return to things statistical,
Go back to the Stat Homepage

Sept 28 1997