Hi Sarah,It's been a while since we drove all the way to Ft. Collins in the rain to adopt, sight unseen, a little black & white Manx-cross kitten, so we thought you'd like a bit of an update. You'll be delighted to know that Collin has matured into quite the handsome, healthy little bugger and my husband and I adore him completely. He never really grew into his great big giant bunny feet (see attached photo) and has the most interesting personality quirks I've ever seen in a cat. For instance:
1.) HE LOVES WATER!! Flies from anywhere in the house to jump in the sink and vigorously splash, drink, play and actually in the sink, belly up and lounge under the RUNNINGwater (makes brushing your teeth a challenge.) For obvious reasons, fresh cut flowers and fish tanks no longer reside in our home. We've taken to using commuter cups to drink water to prevent great big giant bunny feet from dipping inand dumping them over. He is constantly soaking wet. As a bonus, he is also very soft, clean and white. (If you are by the sink and DON'T turn the water on for him, he rears up and bops you in the chest with his front paws, then sits back down and stares impatiently at the faucet until you turn on the water.)
2.) He catches paper balls with his front feet. No, notjust a regular cat who bats around a wadded up paperball... he likes to catch them when tossed at him, then carry them off to stash under the bed or in the bookshelf when he's done with the game.
3.) He follows us around like a puppy from room to room,constantly under foot. Occasionally, he attacks our kneesat random times (however he NEVER uses his claws, so hejust slithers down your leg and lands on your shoes.) Then he rolls around the floor and wants you to rub his belly.
4.) Collin eats ANYTHING! Raw mushrooms, cookie dough,spinach, lettuce, refried beans, tortilla chips, cheese,potatoes, Cheetos and his favorite of all..... CHEERIOS! With or without milk, Cheerios are his favorite snack. We try to keep him on a kitty food diet, but he's very crafty and hangs about for anything dropped on the floor during those wonderful cooking hours where manna occasionally falls from heaven, designed that way just for garbage disposals kittens.
5.) #s 1, 2, 3 and 4 above make us believe he was a dog -most likely a black lab or some other retriever that huntedbirds in the water - in his former life. The feather/birdtoy is by far his favorite toy, and that only adds to the bird dog theory.
6.) We have to pick him up and take him into the garage so he can inspect the daily progress my husband is making as he rebuilds and old car. Collin's not allowed in thegarage (too many dangerous chemicals, etc.), but he reachesup and bangs on the back door each evening until we takehim out to show him what Tyler's done that evening... he inspects everything carefully and quite knows when there's been a change, then he's fine for the rest of the evening.
7.) Much to our other cat's chagrin (Bentley, the greytabby in the photo who's partially blind), Collin stalkshere relentlessly, but never uses claws when he pounces on her. A good pounce and chase as Bentley exits thelitterbox is his favorite method of Bentley-bugging. Thenhe curls up beside her and takes a snooze (photo) with her. Bentley is generally tolerant of this bipolar kitten, with an occasional screech saying "MOM! He's jumping on me again!" when he is especially annoying. She's fitter than she would be otherwise... escaping is good exercise.
8.) He LOVES to listen to classical opera. Absolutely loves it. His favorite is Pavoratti, by far. We had thepublic TV station on right after Luciano Pavoratti passed away and found Collin in front of the TV, mesmerized by his voice. Hence, in honor of Pavorattis's passing, and sinceCollin has such wonderful taste in music, we named Collin after "The Great One." Collin's full name (yes, we have it at the vet that way, too!) is: Collin Luciano Pavoratti Mathiasen (a.k.a. The Dali "Llama" (his black & white markings and short tail make him look like a llama with a cat head),a.k.a., Secret Agent Collin (he's always under cover... the comforter, the couch throw blanket, the wet bath towel (a favorite, probably because it's wet.)
We just wanted you to know what a marvelous little creaturewe brought home, and that we adore his chainsaw purring,his thunderous romping up and down the halls, his Budda posture when he washes his belly, and the way he curls upbeside us on the couch or in bed. We love the way he gnaws softly on your finger. We love the way he goes nuts and dives under the hall carpet like a mole. He loves papersacks and Greenies snacks. We love watching Bentley and Collin as they stalk birds from the back screen door and from the bedroom window (we built a wider window ledge just for them). We just love them both! We have many more pictures and movies. I'll have to sendyou some of that, but today's letter was a spur-of-the-moment thing prompted by my husband sending me this pic.
Tyler and I want to thank you and all the folks who work with you for Collin, and for all the wonderful things you do for cats.
Cheers,Cindy