Alphabet of Daily Life - C

C is for...the Cats, Calvin & Chloe.

Calvin is our handsome tiger dude. He came to us a couple of years ago from the local animal shelter. When we went to the shelter to see the cats, this cute tiger kitten was playing in his cubicle, and he came over to the window to see us when we walked by. The name on his window was "Pokey" and his brother was named "Gumby." We had a chance to play with him in the visiting room, and decided that we wanted to take him home.

He was an absolute joy from the start - charming, affectionate, well-behaved. We renamed him Calvin Pelle (Calvin after the clever little boy in the comic strip and Pelle after the brave boy in the movie "Pelle the Conqueror"). We all enjoyed each other's company tremendously.

After a while, we thought Calvin might like a playmate so he wasn't lonely while we were gone during the day or when we went off on vacation. We contemplated going to the shelter again, but then we heard about a family that had one cat too many.

This family had just moved to the Berkshires from Louisiana. When they opened their moving van here, they discovered a hungry little kitten. They kept her and tried to integrate her with their other pets, but they had many pets already, and this kitten was just a bit ferocious. They had finally decided they couldn't keep her and were planning to take her to the shelter, when we heard about her and said we'd give her a home. My daughter promptly changed her name from L.T. (Lil' Trucker / Lil' Terror) to Chloe.

That's the point when Calvin's life changed dramatically! He is now chased about the house all the time, we have to put him in an area away from Chloe at mealtime so he can eat, and he's extremely skittish from being pounced on unexpectedly and repeatedly. Chloe is adorable and loving with us, but fierce with anyone she doesn't know. She is sometimes pleasant and playful with Calvin, and sometimes beastly. And, yes, she does like to lounge in the bathroom sink.

Are all cats from Louisiana like this?

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