THE STAFF AT CATTMANDU

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Muffin was eight weeks old when we brought her home to Miles and Desi. She adapted quickly and the boys accepted her into our home. We always felt that Calicos were intelligent and strong willed. Muffin really fits this description and she reminds us of Buffy, a Calico we had years ago, in both looks and manner.

~MUFF~

Muff was the very first cat in our lives. Lily brought her home in a bag full of groceries and we've always had cats since then. Muff was with us for 16 loving years. Muff survived 3 changes of residence, and a miserable 2 weeks in which we had to baby sit a Spider Monkey in our home for a friend. The monkey drove her nuts and chose to ignore her. Muff was insulted and it was no picnic for us either. The monkey was a royal pain in the butt. We were all happy when the 2 weeks were up. When Muff was 15 yrs old, she was chased up a neighbor's tree by a Coyote. I happened to witness this early one morning. I chased off the Coyote, got on the neighbor's roof where I could barely reach Muff. She was as stiff as a board with a frightening look on her face. I thought for sure we would lose her right there because of her age, but she hung in there for another year or so. We remember her fondly for starting us out on our cat adventures.

~MINOU~

We found Minou hanging around our house when she was a kitten. She wasn't afraid of us and our cats were friendly with her, so we brought her into our house to feed her. She was gorgeous. One of the prettiest kittens we've ever seen, and she just loved all the attention. We never figured out where she came from. My Mom was visiting with us at the time. She was absolutely sure in her mind that we would keep this cat. Of course she was right. The older Minou got, the more beautiful she became. She had the habit of climbing into cars and going to sleep. We had her about a year until one New Year's eve when she disappeared as mysteriously as she had appeared. To this day, Lily believes she was stolen because she was so beautiful.

~PATCHES~

Patches was the only cat ever born in our home. She was the daughter of Prissy. Unfortunately, we don't have good photos of Prissy, who eventually disappeared after 2 years. Patches was born with 3 other kittens while Lily and Tim were at a Cub Scout meeting. They missed the event by about an hour. We had a large cardboard box in which Prissy could nurse and keep her babies warm. After a while, Prissy kept wanting to move her babies to different places in the house. One time, Lily, Tim and I left town for 3 days while a friend kept the house for us. After 2 days, our friend calls us in a panic. He can't find Prissy and her babies anywhere in the house. When we got home, we saw Prissy but didn't see the babies. BOY!!! she has really hidden them this time. After we searched for the longest time, I noticed the downstairs linen closet door was slightly opened. As I opened the door to the darkened closet, I saw 4 sets of reflecting eyes staring back at me from between the towels and linen. I called out to Lily and Tim to see one of the cutest sights we have ever seen. We were able to give the 3 other kittens to loving homes. Patches bonded closely to me. She liked to sleep on my chest at night, and even on my sides. When I wasn't around, she would do the same thing with Tim. She was a total lap cat, that loved to seek out visitors laps. She loved company. She gave us 16 yrs. of love.

~BUFFY~

Buffy was born in the Armani building in Beverly Hills, close to where Lily worked at the time. Lily had heard about the need to find homes for the litter born there, so she walked over to investigate. She saw this one little female that was so soft and fluffy in color. She brought the irresistible little creature home and named her Buffy. It didn't take long for Buffy and Patches to become friends. We had noticed that Buffy had a high opinion of herself and at times exhibited a taste of snobishness. Seeing that we lived in a different part of Los Angeles, we attributed Buffy's attitude to where she was born. She never really liked to be held like our other cats. No one could pick her up and put her on their lap. However, she wouldn't hesitate to go on one's lap if it was her idea, even if it was a person she barely knew. She loved music, live or recorded. When people came over to listen or play, she was in her element. Patches would always retire to another part of the house. Not because of the people, but because she must have had a tin ear. She wasn't into music appreciation. When Tim was still living with us, Buffy's favorite place to sleep was Tim's chest. I always got up 2 hrs. earlier than Lily and sometimes I would go back to bed as Lily awakened so we could we could talk about the day before us. Buffy loved to get between our heads at this time, like small children do. She purred loudly during these sessions. She also snored louder than any cat we've ever had. She was with us 10 yrs. until she disappeared. We have no idea want happened to her, but we suspect a coyote might have gotten her because of her age. She was different and gave us a lot of laughs. We still miss her.

~EBBY~

Ebby was the only female out of a litter of 4 feral cats that were born somewhere in our backyard. For details of her and her brothers story, go to page 3 and read "Our Life With Feral Cats." Ebby was a very quiet kitty and at times we forgot that she was around. She loved to curl up on a chair or couch and remain there for hours. She was often mistaken for a black pillow. She preferred to stay indoors during the day while her brothers spent their days outside by choice. She was fond of going outside to hunt at night unless it was raining. She had a very soft angelic way about her. Even though she was a feral and afraid of strangers, she enjoyed being picked up and loved by Lily and I. She was Lily's favorite feral and we all miss her and her laid-back personality. Like Buffy before her, she just disappeared.

~LEO~

Leo was one of the 3 male feral cats of the litter. Of all the animals I've been around, including my Dad's dogs while growing up, no animal has been more devoted to me than Leo. He had a doglike faithfulness about him which is highly unusual in a cat. He would follow me outside and stay at my side even as I was watering the yard. He always had something to say to me with his barely audible meows. He was always the first cat to run down the stairs and jump on the bed when he anticipated me retiring for the evening. I don't know how many times he raced downstairs only to be disappointed that I was just brushing my teeth. After I did finally settle in bed, he loved to wrestle a bit, cuddle and love. One night in the middle of February, 2003, after coming home from a birthday party, we let Miles and Desi in for the night but never saw Leo again. He was the most loving animal I've ever had and to this day I miss him terribly. You can read more about Leo and the other ferals starting on page 3.

 

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