Tell us about the best cat you've ever had... ( or any pet, for that matter! ) (Earth, advent)

[Hope]

My favorite cat was a stray named Cookie, that I owned for 8 years---his life span, basically. He was the coolest cat ever---the kind of cat that even non-cat people could appreciate. My sister found him in our woods, up in a tree, when he was only a few months old. He was the tiniest thing---mostly black, but with white paws, belly, and nose---and oh so feisty. Even as a kitten he wasn't afraid to show one of our dogs who was boss, though the dog was at least 3 times his size. He was the kind of cat who held his independence without sacrificing on sweetness. He usually came when I called him, and he liked to follow me like a dog. He didn't like to be held much, but whenever I sat down, he would jump into my lap and curl up.

My favorite memory of him is a pretty humorous one. One day a stray dog had wandered onto our property, and was frolicking with our collie. I walked outside to see the two dogs playing, and there was Cookie, sitting nearby, watching them. Without warning, Cookie flew at the stray dog, hissing, lept onto the dog's back, and held on for at least 15/20 seconds as the dog ran around yelping, wondering what on earth this terrifying thing with sharp claws was doing on its back. I nearly rolled on the ground in laughter. It was pretty apparent Cookie thought the stray was bothering his buddy, the collie, and felt the need to protect the collie from the evil villian! Ah, but such was the character of this 'cool' cat. He was my 'baby', and when he had to be put down a little over a year ago, due to some freak accident, I bawled. I'm sure I will love other cats, but there will never be another 'Cookie'......

[Scuba Pete]

Point of order Hope...

You did not OWN the cat. The cat OWNED you.

I have two favorites.

Petunia was a male cat who stoicly accepted his name. He was a short hair pure white cat with one green and one blue eye. He and I understood each other and had many adventures growing up.

He knew who the boss was and brought my mother gifts all the time. These mostly consisted of field mice, lizards and snakes (one poisonous) that were usually quite alive. Petunia did not want to deprive my mother the joy of the kill, and prided himself on that.

He liked to crawl up into things. One day I left for a canoe trip (canoe on top of the car). Upon arriving some 30 minutes later I saw a white blur escape into the swamp. I eventually pulled my not-so-white cat out of the muck and mire and unceremoniously washed her in the cold Wekiwa River! He did not enjoy the trip in the canoe, and I had to constantly remind him that his presense was NOT my idea. There were several letters written to the SPCA about this incident, I am sure. He died shortly after I got out of college at the ripe old age of 17.

My current feline companion is "Rat Cat". She is two cats rolled up in one. Like my daughter, she has both a light side and a dark side. You really never know which part of her is in control until it's too late. Last year she finally caught on of the squirrels she has been hunting (It's only taken her fifteen years to accomplish this feat). I am not sure who was more surprised; her the squirrel or me!

[jewscout]

My favorite pet is our family cat Buddy. He's the best fat cat in the whole wide world.

Here are some other favorite cats
www.mycathatesyou.com

[Hope]

Oh, wow, Netdoc, what an interesting-looking cat!

[Watcher]

I have a bearded dragon named Smaug.....He's awesome.

[Circle_One]

Well, as I type this, my favorite cat, Isis, sits on my lap, curled in a ball and occasionally looks up to bat at my fingers while I type. Like Hope's cat, Isis is the toughest little princess I've ever seen, yet at the same time, she is the cuddliest thing in the world. She too, follows me like a puppy and comes when I call her. She cannot leave my side for more than 10 minutes without whining incessantly until she can find me. She even sits either on the seat of the toilet while I shower, or on the edge of the tub if I take a bath. She's completely dependant of me, and it's quite amusing, seeing as cats are usually totally independant animals. She chases my dog, a Samoyed/Collie mix around the house and constantly tortures him, even though he's much bigger than her. I don't know, she's just absolutely amazing.

[robtex]

For me it was Schnurre. German for purring. I got her when I was about 14ish. We picked her up with another cat named quicksilver. The cat, which we didn't know at the time was sick. It was summer so we were home from school. I was afraid the cat was going to die so I held her thinking she need love in her last days on earth. I quit playing with the other kids I quit going out. All day long I would hold and pet the cat. I would even sit next to her when she ate. She was on some medicine but I am unware what it was or even what she had.

About a three weeks of this and the cat do to medicine and diet got better. As a matter of fact she bacame healthy and than plump. I became her best friend. She somehow sensed how much affection I had for her....kinda a praternal feeling.

As the months passed she followed me around like a dog. When I came home she ran to the door to greet me. When I left for school she followed me to the door. She would sleep with me every night and lay her body next to my face and purr really loudly. When I woke-up she would still be sleeping next to my face.

I would carry her to the store with me ....take her places with me and play with her at night when I came home. When I went off to college the cat would realize I was leaving as I was packing..and throw up. Every time.

She has since passed away but that is my cat story.