Cool Cats Shade and Goldie!

Again I have felt compelled to run more than one interview in a posting. The cool cats of the day are those you may already know from Sumac Stories. Shade and Goldie are two new friends of mine, who sort of have stuff in common with my life. They live in a small cottage in the woods. I live in a small cottage in the woods (and on a lake). Plus Shade resembles Oliver or Friend Oliver, as my human calls him - the cat next door.

Shade

Is there a story behind your name and if so what is it?

My name when I was a kitten was "Fluffy" but the PM changed it when they got me. I mean, really, do I even look remotely fluffy? No. I wanted a glamorous or exotic name like Shalimar or Yasmin. Jazmin, you are so lucky to have such a glorious name. It took the Music Man and the PM a while to come up with my name. They finally decided on Shade while walking through a graveyard. How thrilling. The reason? Because I am black and white. I really think they could have done better but what can you do.

What is your life philosophy?

Find the best hiding places and claim them as your own. Don't ever, EVER, let your little brother see you go into said hiding places. Do not come out of said places even if you are called.

What is the best trait for a human to have?

A well padded lap.

What would you change about your life if you could?

I would like it if Goldie would quit stalking me like I am some rodent in the field. I come hopping down the stairs and his flippin' ginger body is always right at the bottom. Hidden around the corner, ready to pounce on me. That really irks me.

Which describes you more? Feel free to elaborate:

wet food/dry food

I don't like wet food at all. I eat the dry and will have treats, only certain brands and flavors. I am a very fussy eater. I have a very delicate palate.

indoor/outdoor

Indoor from October to April and outdoor in the spring and summer. I enjoy a quiet stroll and a leisurely nap, hidden under a shrub. I do not hunt anything apart from a grasshopper or two.

lap sitter/or computer keyboard

I am a user. I want a warm lap, any lap in the cold months but I keep to myself pretty much when it gets warmer out. I never go around the computer, too much in the way, too much work.

affectionate/aloof

I think I am kind of aloof. I like attention from the PM once the wee ones are in bed and I sleep at the end of their bed at night but that's about it.

catnip/milk

Never tried milk before but I do enjoy my nip. I have two plants out front that I recline under and I have been know to attack them quite viciously on occasion.

fish/pork

Again, I am too fussy to even think about what those actually taste like.

animal shelter/pet shop

I was at a shelter for about a week before the PM came to get me. She had just moved into an apartment with the Music Man and wanted a cat. She had five when she lived with the Nanny but she wasn't allowed to have any cats with claws in the new place. She worked with at-risk youth and they went to the SPCA on the weekends to help out. She told them she was looking for a cat without claws so they could check the cats out for her. One of the teens saw me and called the PM. They were over to get me that afternoon. I was a year old and I had no claws. I was sent to the shelter as there was a new baby in the house and my old beans couldn't handle a cat AND a baby. Wimps.

Goldie

Is there a story behind your name and if so what is it?

The Music Man named me Goldie Han Solo. A mix between Goldie Hawn and Han Solo. Han Solo was a childhood hero of his and I don't know about the Goldie Hawn business, weird crush maybe. Goldie because of my colouring.

What is your life philosophy?

If it moves, try to chase, whap, and attack it. Everything needs a good thrashing once in awhile.

What is the best trait for a human to have?

Easily manipulated.

What would you change about your life if you could?

I would like Shade to be a bit more loving to me. I would like some help washing my ears from time to time. I mean, I don't smell rank or anything. The PM says I smell like freshly mowed hay.

Which describes you more? Feel free to elaborate:

wet food/dry food

I LOVE the wet! I don't get it too often but I listen intently for that cap-opener-music where ever I am. Sometimes I get a shock as it is just canned chick peas.

indoor/outdoor

OUTDOOR!!!! I would love a cat flap so I could enter and exit the premises on a whim but the PM worries that some other creatures would be coming in too. I love to use the facilities outdoors and I hunt religiously.

lap sitter/or computer keyboard

I am a lap, calf, arm, back, chest, head and rump sitter. Especially the PM. If she sits for a nanosecond, I am on her lap. When she bends over to get something or is making the beds etc, I sit on her back or her behind.

affectionate/aloof

I am a love pig and I am not ashamed of it. I wish Shade would be more snugly with me but she just swears and curses.

catnip/milk

To tell you the truth, I am a catMINT fan, nepeta mussinii. The PM has nine plants in the side garden for me to nibble on when I need a rest outside. Primo stuff.

fish/pork

This is a very troubling question for me. I have no idea. It hurts to talk about it even. I have faint memories of such things when I was a kitten, before I lived here. I love my family, don't get me wrong, but they are :::whispers::: vegetarians. I think I may have had some tuna juice before when the PM thought she had to start eating fish when she was nursing but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Pork? I have never even smelled the stuff. Sad, very sad.

animal shelter/pet shop

Neither, I was living with this dude and three other cats and he had to move to the other side of Canada and couldn't take us with him. His friends took the other two so I was left. His sister was on the way to the SPCA with me in a box when she thought she'd call a girl who she used to work with, the PM. The PM is easily manipulated and so here I am. Thank heavens for cell phones.