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Cherié
In loving memory
1984 - 1997
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Cherie was my beloved seal-point Siamese companion from her kittenhood in
1984 until 1997. She was intelligent and loyal, affectionate, empathetic, noble,
serene, comforting and, of course, beautiful!
During her lifetime, she gave
birth to one litter and brought into the world one male blue-point and four
female seal points. I found loving homes for all her kittens but was so upset
with having to part with them that this was to be Cherie's only time of
motherhood!
We lived in the southeast for four years before moving to
Massachusetts. She adjusted well to life in Worcester, Ma., but not thrilled,
as I was not, with our mercifully brief sojourns in E. Boston and Malden,
Ma. Our living situations in both of these cities were very rough and we
were both happy to move into an apartment in Cambridge, Ma. sans roommates!
Cherie proved her patience when Chanel was added to our Cambridge home and
later the manic Celeste. She eventually became potty-trained along with the
other two at the ripe age of 11. Cherie was a wonderful lap kitty and snuggler
and claimed as her own "banky", an afghan which my grandmother had made for
me.
I lost this lovely and faithful friend to kitty heaven in 1997 as a result
of mammary cancer. After the tumor was discovered, she let me know that she
had not long to live by snuggling even closer to me and rarely leaving my
side. When she fell asleep for the last time, my grief was immense and I cried
inconsolably for many days. She is loved and missed and her gentle ways are
not forgotten. Her picture is on a side altar among others whom I loved and
are departed from this Realm.
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Chanel
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Chanel is the princess of our family with her posing and refined sensibilities.
She is a lilac-point Himalayan; her incredibly soft coat floating around
her giving an almost angelic appearance. She is a sweet, shy, charmer who,
when she tilts her at head me, showing off those China blue eyes, she makes
it almost impossible to turn down her request for a between meal snack!
As
a kitten, she was the "runt" of her litter and therefore difficult for her
owners to place. But that tiny sweetie, cupped in my hands, won my heart!
Her favorite kitten games were fetch and hide-and-seek which she did completely
on her own. Chanel was and is the only "kneader" of the three and my head
used to be favorite place for that feline activity.
This lady is also the
only one who begs for human food and once in awhile, I give in to her with
a few licks of ice cream. However, she will turn down samplings of frozen
yogurt or the fat-free variety! She is not much of a snuggler but will come
to me several times during the day or night for her quota of cuddles, tummy
rubs and kneading.
Beneath all this fluff there beats the heart of a huntress!
No bird or bug is safe around her and she will growl, prowl and pounce until
she has captured her prey! At one time, we had blue budgie named Beau. Despite
the cage being in a safe place, Chanel managed to get to it and unfasten
the lock! I saved him on many occasions until the the cage was suspended
from the kitchen ceiling. After that, Chanel would spend many a long moment
gazing up at Beau with those huge, blue eyes and her plumy tail swishing
impatiently back and forth on the linoleum floor!(Alas, Beau is no longer
with us, but passed away from old age not as appetizer for Miss Chanel.)
At 12, Chanel is lively, playful and still loves batting around noisy, kitty
toys. She is precious, a real sweetheart unless she's after a moving entree!
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Celeste
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What can I write that would describe this pint-sized dynamo? Celeste is a
sable Burmese but delivers all of her breed's characteristics only in multiples!!
Famous for being the most people-oriented (along with the Turkish Angora
and the Egyptian Mau) and intelligent of the domestic cats, Burmese are known
for not only demanding all of their owner's attention but everyone else's
as well! Friendly, bright, alert, and loyal to the point of extreme, Celeste
is all this and much more. Her breeder thought the little tornado kitten
had gotten an extra dose of Burmese chromosomes.
When introduced into her
new household, she immediately assumed she was "top cat" at only 12 weeks
old! She assumed from the beginning that she was the most important one in
the household! Chanel was more mellow and laid back with this pint-size dynamo,
but she nearly drove Cherie to desperation as Celeste wanted to play with
her---constantly! Her appetite was enormous and she used up her energy speeding
all around the apartment---constantly! ( Burmese eat a great deal when
they're maturing but stay rather small. Instead their body mass is extremely
muscular with a compact build. When they're picked up, they feel heavier
than they look.) She also wanted my attention---all of it!
Celeste considered
it her right to force any kitty or any thing out of my lap at any time for
her convenience! This brown blur of a kitten took Chanel's game of fetch
even further by getting a toy and bringing it to me when SHE was ready to
play! It would take a very long time for her to get tired of a session of
fetch as well! To this day she will still push the keyboard out of my lap
by going underneath it, bumping it with her head if I've been online
to long ---according to her. There is no point to ignoring her demands as
she has a very large vocabulary, an equally large voice and is never shy
about using it! She can talk me into submission!
Celeste is without doubt
THE best snuggle kitty who's ever lived with me! Burmese love people and
love to stay close to their person---all the time. Celeste has this attribute
in extremes. She is possessive; claiming ownership of me and all that I own. However, she is also a fierce protectress, unquestionably loyal and eerily
sensitive to my moods especially when I'm in need of comfort. Jealous she
may be (she will often talk loudly for me to get off the phone and pay attention
to her) but nowhere is there a better foot warmer in winter,a more loyal
sick companion or unswerving friend! I pray that I'll be able to enjoy the
intense gaze of her golden eyes for a very long time to come!!
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Some Useful Cat Friendly Links:
The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) --Everything you have ever wanted to know about cats and then some.
The Daily Kitten --A new kitten picture everyday; many need to be adopted into loving homes.
Petfinder.com --Directory of over 7,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the USA.
Hugs for Homeless Animals --Directory of Worldwide shelters and adoptions, Lost and Found, and vets.
Western New England Animal Care and Adoption Center --Adoptions and shelters in Western New England.
CFA Breed Article: Himalayan - Persian --All about Himmies!
Cat Fanciers' Association: Breed Profile: Burmese --All about Burmese origins.
Traditional Siamese Breed FAQ --I favor the Traditional Siamese!
Iams - quality dog and cat food - pet care products --All of my cats and their kittens have thrived on Iams. I highly recommend their products to all cat and dog "owners".
FBRL: Burmese: Breeders --Scroll down to Burmystic in Connecticut if you are interested in sharing your home with a feline like Celeste! :)
Burmese.org- Gallery of Distinguished Merit Burmese --Two of these Burmese prize-winners are "cousins" of Celeste; GC Nutcracker's Dartanian of Burmystic (1st pic, 3rd row) and GC Windflower's Anna Nicolle of Burmystic (1st pic, 5th row).
I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER? --I Can Has Cheezburger is a site that gathers, organizes, tags, and captions the most funny and slightly weird pictures of lolcats and lol* (other animals) from the Internet.
Catster.com --The cat lovers community to share pictures, stories, and information.
Stuff On My Cat --Stuff + Cats = Awesome.
All text and other material, unless otherwise noted, © 2000-06 S. Breen
Webdesign help, layout, and background updated by Stephanie L. Nichols, 2006
Webdesign help and background modified by
Kym ní Dhoireann from Pictish
spiral (as featured in George Bain's Celtic Art)
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