Scott & Deb's Place

The Cats

VELVET

Velvet is our second cat. She came in with the groceries one winter day. The cat was obviously not being well fed, if fed at all. I knew she belonged to a neighbor so I took her back. Ten minutes later I heard the cat wailing at our neighbors door to get back in. Several times after that the cat came over when it was cold and I would return the cat only for it to be thrown out again. After the cat was thrown out during an extreme cold spell I stopped returning her. Even though she was let out regularly she never returned to the neighbor. I wanted to rescue her brother too but couldn't afford any more cats at that point. I wish I had since he eventually went feral.

Velvet has been in love with me since the day she came in the door. I mean "LOVE". This cat will do anything to spend time with me alone. She is a very friendly cat and has the softest fur. She's a jealous cat though and will take her anger out on the other cats if she can't get in my lap when she wants. I've had her for about nine years now.

NATALIE

Natalie is the latest addition to the family. We've had her for about a year and a half. She's still real energetic and is known as the athletic director of the bunch. She makes sure that every cat gets chased or ambushed at least once a day. She's in her rebellious teen stage right now and doesn't like to be held much. She always hangs close to people though and if you flip her on her back she'll purr and stay still. She's also managed to pick up the bad habits of all the other cat. She most resembles Velvet, both in appearance and personality, but Velver won't play with her if anyone is around to watch.

COPERNICUS (c.1991 - 2004)
(A.K.A. Cop, CopernaWhat?, Copper Top Cat, Drooling Wonder, Vampire Kitty, Fang, Cyber Kitty, etc.)

Copernicus was the first cat I had as an adult. He was a male Siamese that was abandoned in a local trailer park. Some friends of mine took him in when they noticed several wounds that had obviously not been taken care of. We were all college students then and none of us had the money to take the cat to the vet. The vet, Paw Prints, and the Humane Society were both able to help with the costs and I was able to provide him with a home off the streets. I felt so bad for this lonely and abandoned cat that I visited him every day while he was at the vet. Even though he tested positive for Feline Leukemia, Copernicus had a healthy and active life for over 11 years. Eventually his name was shortened to Cop since no one I knew could pronounce his entire name.

When I took him home he was the truest of gentlemen. He never jumped on anything or scratched on the furniture. If he wanted to be on a couch he would wait on the floor for a sign of permission to jump up. He did this for every single couch and chair in our house until he knew all the furniture he was allowed on. He was a friendly cat and was the adoration of houseguests for years. He spent several years as an accomplished hunter before a near accident in a road and he has been inside since. His long list of kills included snakes, rabbits, moles, and even a flying squirrel. He tried to take out the local ground hog but never did succeed.

For much of his life Cop and Velvet were the best of friends. They were the dynamic duo. They played together and slept together. Cop befriended all the new cats to the house. He was the one cat that all of the others could play with.

He was a shed factory, a non-stop supply of fur. Luckily he also liked to be brushed. His hind sides would frequently get matted and he would need it brushed out. A friend once tried to spin his fur so I could weave it. It came out ok but we never pursued it enough to actually make something from his fur.

Cop was also known for his patented head butt. If he really wanted your attention he would ram his forehead into you to get you to pet him. He was a great lap cat. Some days he would spend forever kneading a spot to lie, only to turn around and lay in another spot nearby. Other days he would slip quietly onto your lap and you'd hardly realize he was there. During his younger days he used to sit on my lap while I chatted on BBS's. He even had his own call sign, The Drooling Wonder. Whenever Cop was really happy and getting attention he would drool all over.

He and Cathy both quickly fell for Deb. While I was dating her they would both come running to the door whenever the doorbell rang. They both bonded with her and were anxious to see her when she visited. Cop would jump up on her lap all the time while she sat at the desk. He'd also get into clingy spells and would wake her up in the middle of the night with head butts and pawing her in the face and arms until she got up and petted him. (Cop had very sharp claws so it usually didn't take much pawing to get what he wanted.)

Copernicus passed away in the early hours of Saturday, June 12th, 2004.

To Copernicus

CATHY

Cathy passed away in March of 2006. She was an old cat who I had for about 5 years. She originally was my Mother's cat. My mother had her several years before moving to a place where she couldn't have cats. She then moved to my grandmother's house and became her cat. She lived there for about 9 years until my Grandmother passed. I have had her ever since. She was a nice cat but didn't care too much for other animals. She was a very caring cat, always there when anyone was sick or feeling down. She is missed by all.