Our household has enjoyed the experience of several Dynasties of feline history. We employ the term, “Dynasty,” with apologies for its anthropomorphic reference. It has been our empirical observation that there exists a universally nuanced human inclination to perceive human traits or emotions in cats which, while commonplace, are subjective and, fallacious projections. With sincere apologies, we have, admittedly, referred to the generations of our household cats as dynasties, due to that same human, erroneous commonplace perception of their appearance as visibly royal and aloof. In this context, we are hopeful that the reader will indulge us respecting our utilization of provincial, or anthropomorphic observations.
“Bella,” about whom we will comment at a later point in this writing, has only, yesterday, successfully immigrated into our household and will have constituted the fifth dynasty in our royal feline history. She will benefit from the company and peripatetic guidance of “Gelato,” our fourth.
For readers who may be interested in our unique and admirable household occupants, we would initially and briefly relate the variety and commonality of their physical appearance. It might be of interest to know that all of the cats are “Devon Rex,” which particular breed contains no “dander” under their outer layer of fur, and so are non-allergic. Devon’s also uniformly feature small, characteristic, furrows on their heads and, further, compared to the more pedestrian, Tabby, have short, unremarkable whiskers. They are beautiful and come in various colors: white, tan, cream, brown, and gray, or an attractive mix of the same. They vary in size; two of our pets have been the size of ordinary Tabby cats, and three others, significantly smaller.
We commence our feline chronicles with the first, and, empirically, the most remarkable, of all our household cats, a male, whom we named, “Cicero.” Cicero was the larger size of the species and had ample fur which was gray to black. His unique feature was his apparent tact and diplomacy, having lived much of his life with the small and rambunctious, “Anchovie,” and the big-sized, pushy “Koo-doo.” If it is possible to ascribe human traits to cats, Cicero was gentlemanly, contemplative, and patiently tolerant. Much heartbreak was experienced at his demise, in honor of which, a fruit tree was planted, and the ashes of his cremation installed at the roots
Our second domiciliary co-tenant was “Anchovie,” who was given her nuanced (and unconventionally spelled) name, in an effort at feline originality. Much like “Cicero,” she affected an ultimate persona, reflective of her piquant name; active, attention-seeking, and independently assertive. Yet, quite often she made the amorous choice of curling together, “yin and yang,” style, with the ever-tolerant “Cicero” in a soft circular, bed. She, too is decreased; unfortunately, cats seem to have a longevity of only 13 to 15 years.
Koo-doo, a full-size, female, Devon with a ”ritzy,” Sax Fifth Avenue quality, dark gray coat was, remarkably, an inveterate and insatiable gourmand, consuming, in addition to her cat food, whatever could be inveigled from the dinner table. She was socially independent, reserving her attention for the lady of the household, to the exclusion of her two siblings and the household’s male human. She was named after a beautiful, elk-like animal on an African Safari, viewed, scenically erect on a twilight-lit hill.
The next generation of feline pet is named, “Gelato.” It is impossible to adequately describe the beauty of this male Devon. He is a velvety coated, tan color with brown trim on his paws, ears, and face, and is almost irresistibly, huggable. Despite his light tan color, he has blue eyes and a brown tail. His quick changes of attention and insatiable curiosity make him extremely entertaining and his proclivity for snuggling renders one in a state of incessant love. Until yesterday, Gelato was the sole household pet.
Yesterday, the historic entry into the household of a tiny, snow white Devon kitten, with amber eyes, added yet more love and excitement to the household. It is a female kitten, imported from Belarus, Russia, which we named “Bella,” short for Belarus and, in many Latinized languages means “beautiful.” Gelato, her new sibling is an extremely handsome, small cat; but tiny Bella’s beauty is indescribable. We are in the delicate process of encouraging the comfortable acceptance of the handsome Gelato and the beautiful Bella, and we anticipate their happy coexistence and our enhanced pleasure.
-p.
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