Cat Family

Our neighbors have a lot of cats. In early 2020, we noticed a calico cat that kept hanging around our house. She was very skittish but enjoyed when we gave her milk and attention. We later found out that the other cats weren't letting her stay at home. They'd chase her away. Poor thing! After that, we made sure to show her some love whenever she came around. In May 2020, the husband was weeding near the house and found two kittens, probably only 2-3 weeks old. We quickly determined that the calico cat was the mother. We tried to make them a comfy place to stay but during the night, the Mama Cat moved the kittens elsewhere. We suspect she was nervous of all the attention. While we had a suspicion where she moved them, we stayed away so as not to spook her again. A few weeks later, to our delight, she brought them back as if to say "ok, now you can meet them." We made a semi-protected area outside for them and, admittedly, we all fell in love with the family. We (and the rest of the world) was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and online school -- and it was such a joy and relief to have them. As a family, we decided we would be willing to adopt them if the neighbors approved. They did, as they were also aware that the Mama Cat was constantly chased away from their house by their other cats. Thus, the cat family joined ours.

I pondered if I should make three different pages since they are three very distinct animals, but I've decided I prefer putting them together since they came together and most pictures have more than one of them anyway.

Sparks is the Mama Cat. She's so named because she's so skittish. She's learned to trust us but she still scares very easily. She prefers things quiet and calm. We think she was about 18 months old when we adopted her. Her favorite place is under the bed though she will also lounge on a chair in our room or out on the catio.

Burrow is a black and white cat, almost the spitting image of the cat we believe is her father. She is an explorer. She loves to spend time on the catio, even when it's below freezing! She loves to go on walks (seriously, she does!) and will go outside any chance she gets. She's come very close to opening the front door on her own (by stepping on the handle while standing on the half-wall near the door), so we've had to start locking it even when we are home. Burrow is a cuddler and loves to be held -- but in the same way a toddler would be held. She doesn't want to lay in your arms, she wants to be upright with her paws (or body) over your shoulder. Reminds me of a parrot on the shoulder of a pirate sometimes.

Potato is a calico cat, like her mother. She's more cautious than her sister but more social than her mother. She loves to sleep snuggled up with someone, usually between their legs, but it has to be on her terms. She believes that 5am is the proper time to butt heads with me and try to get under the blankets. She'll stay there for a few minutes before running off somewhere else. I kind of wish she could do that without waking me up but such is life. She is obsessed with water, particularly that which flows from a particular faucet in our house. She will sit next to that sink for HOURS waiting for the water to turn on. If we turn it on just a little, she will bat at the water or scratch at the sink like she's trying to dig down and figure out where the water is going. One of her preferred napping places is my husband's computer chair, which gets a little funny when he gets home and wants to be on his computer. She likes to chew on the corners of cardboard boxes or pieces of paper if she can.

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