Hear me say hello! (this is more like "Can I have another Pounce?" than "Hello," but you get the idea.)

See more pictures of me, in my new photo album!

So I'm a tortoiseshell, like Gypsy Rose and Abracadabra. I'm not old and grumpy like they are, though--I'm only 2 and a half years old. Really!

I was born around July of 1995, the vet thinks. I weigh about 7 and a half pounds. Everyone who sees me at first, thinks I'm Gypsy. We do look quite a bit alike, although my nose isn't black on one side and orange on the other like Gypsy's. Mine is orange with a black streak down the middle.
I'm a very curious cat. I always explore everything, usually sniffing while I'm purring. I also am very straightforward -- why walk around something when you can climb over it? Of course, I usually manage to knock things helter-skelter while I'm doing it, but the stuff shouldn't be in my way in the first place!

My hobbies include trying to eat anything I find, from possible food, to bugs, to screws, to whatever might be on the floor, including spots. Also, I love drinking out of people's glasses. Water and milk are my favorites, but I'll try just about anything! I also talk to birds and squirrels. Sometimes I try and chase them -- I'm a really fast, sleek, runner! -- but I mostly sit and watch them, and chatter to them.

My favorite toy is fur mousies. I love the white ones best, but spotted grey ones are okay. The black ones are really neat, too. I play "Mousie Soccer" by batting a fur mousie between my paws across the room, and scoring a goal by pushing it under some of the furniture. When Misha moved her bookcase to put a new one in its place, over a dozen mousies were discovered hiding back there!

There is another picture of me snuggled with Feeyawnsay, but Misha's not gonna put it up because his mouth is wide open (he was snoring at the time).

So, as to how I came to live here. In July of '96, Misha was home alone--her parents were on a vacation in the MidWest. Right after Feeyawnsay's birthday, she decided to go to the Humane Society and look at cats. She had what some people refer to as "KittyLust" -- where you just HAVE to get another cat, 'cause kitties are so cute! As if four cats weren't enough! But she walked in the cage-place where I was sitting in my cage in the corner, and I watched her as she walked around, talking to all the kitties and petting most of them. When she got around to my door, my eyes went as round as marbles and I meowed my greetings. "Oh, aren't you sweet?" she said. "And you look like my Gypsy Rose!" She scratched my ears for a minute, then moved on, looking at the rest of the kitties in the room. Then she came back to me. The worker there said she could take me out and hold me, if she wanted. She did, and I immediately started purring and snuggling like mad. "Aww... look at you! Such a love! What's your name? Sparkle? Funny, I was thinking of naming my next kitty Sparkle, or Dazzle." Then she put me back in the cage, shut the door, and walked out of the room. I sat there, confused. Then the worker came back to get me. I was brought up front, and put in a plastic box, kind of like my cage, only smaller. Then I was taken in the car to visit the vet, and then to my new home.

I had to stay in the house for a week, because I had just been "fixed when I wasn't broke" and Misha was worried about me getting in a tangle with one of the other cats. During this time I was introduced to Feeyawnsay, and comfy pillows, and things to play with, and television, which I watched for long periods of time. Also during this time, I was brought outside on a harness and leash, to meet the other cats. I was very friendly and outgoing with them, walking straight up to them to introduce myself, but they all hissed at me, even Abra, who is normally a very mellow cat!

Then one day, a car pulled up in the driveway and two people got out. I got to meet Misha's Daddy first. He was Not Happy about having another cat; he kept saying to find another home for me. Misha told him I had just shown up in the backyard one day, and she wasn't sure how long ago that was as I really resembled Gypsy. He believed this snow job, but said I still had to go. Misha said, "I'll bet Mom won't even notice she's here." She was right -- for two weeks, her mom couldn't tell the difference between me and Gypsy. By the time she did, however, it was too late. I had totally won over Daddy.

Created November 5, 1996. Last updated January 1, 1998.