Meet My Cats
Although I learned to love cats, we never intentionally sought to own one. Through various circumstances, they ended up in our laps (pun intended). I (we) always grew to love and adore our cat friends. Their purrs calmed us, and they kept us entertained.
It’s often said that dogs have owners, cats have staff. Throughout the years, I’ve become expert staff. How is it that cats can get what they want so easily? Is it the ultimate joy of having a warm, furry, purring body snuggle up to you, even if it is for only a few minutes? Hopefully, our cats’ stories will give some insight, but no answers.
Tasha - 1972-1986
Tasha: We adopted Tasha in 1975 when the owners of our first house retired and moved to the country. She was a loving cat with a pushy purr-sonality. She always wanted to be a part of anything we did, including potentially dangerous things like helping me as I sewed and hubby and I when we painted the kitchen, where she ended up drenched in paint. But she was the only cat who loved, even demanded, being held. She hated the noise of the vacuum, but rather than run away, she wanted me to carry her as I vacuumed.
She would also tolerate, or maybe even love it, when I’d squeeze her in my arms and dance with her while my favorite song played. After we had her for two years, she developed diabetes, but never complained or ran away when it was time for her shot.
Mandy - 1986-1999
We met Mandy when the vet's wife showed us a bundle of unwanted kittens dropped off at the office. They were so young they stayed in the kennel with their mom until weaned.
She was our beauty queen and a sweet little girl. We nicknamed her Smudge after my mom kept trying to wipe the black spot from beside her nose.
Perhaps because of that isolation in her infancy, she seemed never to really learn to be like a cat. She was shy and fearful in many situations. She always ran away when the ice-maker dropped cubes, and dashed the other way when an outside door opened. Unlike our other cats, her opinion of the outdoors was, as Monk would say, “It’s a Jungle Out There.”
While our other cats were naturally social, Mandy was a true homebody who saved all her love for us.
Misty - 1999-2013
We adopted Misty when a friend reached out that he wanted help. He couldn't adopt the stray roaming in his yard and the Chicago winter was fast appoaching .
While Mandy was shy, Misty was social. She loved being around people and would confidently mingle with guests at our Christmas open houses.
She was calm yet inquisitive.
Misty turned out to be an incredible traveler. When we bought an RV four years later, she claimed the front window as her personal throne, spending hours snoozing and watching the world go by. She was even the only cat who seemed to enjoy walking on a leash—though at a total snail's pace, as she had to stop and thoroughly inspect every single blade of grass."
Casey - 2016-2025
After three years without a cat, Casey simply ambled into our lives. We were getting our RV serviced when we spotted him roaming between rigs, looking for his family. The receptionist said he’d been a stray there for over a year, so after a vet check, we scooped him up.
He turned out to be the calmest cat we’ve ever known, sleeping on my lap the entire drive home.
His theme song was undoubtedly The Carpenters' 'Close To You'—he always wanted to be right next to us. As he grew older, if we stepped out, he sat faithfully by the front door side-light, waiting for our return.
Though he handled nightly asthma inhalers like a champ and loved exploring the 'big house,' we tragically lost him far too soon to squamous cell carcinoma. He brought immense love into our lives, and we miss our loyal shadow every day.
Patsy - 2025
After losing Casey, our home felt entirely too quiet. As our neighbor perfectly put it, 'I can’t imagine life without a cat.' Loneliness led us to the shelter, where we set out looking for an older cat. Instead, 1.5-year-old Patsy came sprinting right toward us the second we walked into her room. It was official: she chose us.
We quickly realized Patsy is a total whirlwind—we often joke she behaves more like a manic kitten than an adult! She is incredibly outgoing and greets every single guest, though don't expect more than a quick 'handshake' before she dashes off to her next adventure. We affectionately call her our little fidget.
Even when she decides to be a lap cat, she spends a few minutes constantly shifting to get comfortable, stays for a grand total of three minutes, and then bolts the second something catches her eye. Life with Patsy means endless entertainment, and there is absolutely no doubt in our minds (or hers!) that we are simply her dutiful servants.
Honorable Mention - Blackie 1954-1957
Blackie: A magnificent long-haired black cat, my childhood cat until 1957. She was a gift from my Aunt. She was mostly indoors, but was let outdoors to do her business. That sometimes led to my mom’s consternation when she’d come back with a present, a struggling bird, in her mouth. Despite her occasional hunts, she seemed to prefer the indoors.
Blackie loved the black rocking chair, and she blended in purr-fectly. Every once in a while someone wouldn't check the chair before they sat down and Blackie screeched and ran away.
Since I was a young girl, she was as much my toy and companion as a cat. She rarely complained when I tried to put doll dresses on her.
So even though I didn’t understand purr-sonalities at the time, I’d say she was a calm girl who was a great companion for an pre-teen only child.