Our Cats, Julian and Ziggy

Julian

Born:	May 1997
Color:	Orange and white
Weight:	16 1/2 pounds
Unusual aspect:	7 toes on one front paw, 6 on the other front paw (rear normal)
Personality:	Very typical cat- ornery, loving and reclusive, depending on mood
Obsessions:	Catnip, twist ties, the plastic strip from 1-gal. jug caps, plants, power cords
Quirks:	Likes to chew on our hand, chew objects, knocks telephone over when it rings

Julian was a present from Andy to Valarie in July 1997, when Andy left to go to the CAP encampment. Valarie had wanted a cat for several months at that point, and although Andy had disagreed with getting a cat because they weren't allowed in the apartments at RIT, he eventually got Julian.

The same day that Andy left for the encampment, he picked up Julian from an animal rescue service in Chili, NY. He was advertised in the paper as 'tiger striped'. He was very friendly, and in the carboard carrier that he came with, he kept sticking his little kitten arm out of the air hole to say hi. A note was left for Valarie on top of a can of cat food in the kitchen to "look under the bed", since Julian had hidden himself there and it didn't look like he was going to move.

Soon after, Julian liked to wake us up in the morning by jumping on the bed (he still does most days), then sneezing in Andy's face. Yuck! He quickly grew, then grew fat (20 lbs at one point!). He's on a permanent diet, eating only 3/4 cup diet food each day. However, he's down to a "big boned" 17 lbs.

Ziggy

Born:	May 1999
Color:	Black and white
Weight:	6 pounds
Unusual aspect:	Squirrel-like tail and a mane, but normal hair elsewhere
Personality:	Can be shy from time to time, very quiet but playful- climbs up on bed every morning to say hello
Obsessions:	Catnip, wresting with Julian, the plastic strip from 1-gal. jug caps
Quirks:	Squeaky meow, timid one second and friendly the next, pees on clothes piles :(

Ziggy was discovered one fall night when Val and Andy were coming home. Two green glowing eyes had reflected the headlight of the car and Valarie noticed. After seeing the glowing green eyes four times in a 5 or 6 day period, Valarie suggested we try to pick the cat up. We had talked for some time about getting a companion for Julian, since Julian seemed to be going crazy being home all day alone.

One night Val and Andy had an argument over the milk, resulting in Val going to the convenience store "herself" to buy a fresh gallon. On the way back, she saw the glowing eyes, and stopped the car on the side of the road to get a closer look, and possibly grab the cat. Unfortunately, she locked the door, with the engine running and the keys in the ignition. She wasn't more than 1/2 mile from home, so she walked back, and Andy rode his bike back with the spare keys and unlocked the car. We attempted to catch the cat, but he eluded us that night.

The night after, we purchased a Mag light flashlight to aid us in our search for this cat. It wasn't hard to find him, because he stayed in the same general area. We stopped the car, determined to pick this cat up. Eventually, we chased him into a sewer pipe, flushed him out, then Valarie chased him across the street and finally caught him.. not without getting bitten first, though. The poor creature was scared stiff, was still a juvenile cat, was all wet (it had rained) and had worms. We kept him in our closet of a bathroom for a couple days, to make sure he was OK and didn't have rabies.

Since then, Ziggy was named and has become a part of our family. He is still a very skittish cat, running away at the slightest noise or ruckus, unlike Julian who would lie on his side even if an anvil were falling on top of him. Ziggy still comes onto the bed every night and every morning to be petted. He also has a nasty habit of peeing on clothes that have been laid on the floor. I guess that will just keep us vigilant about keeping the house picked up.