My One True Love, My Darling Lo

I grew up in a household that rarely had less than two cats & two dogs in it.  After living in dorms with fish and with a boyfriend who was anti-cat (who, ironically, is VERY pro-Lo), I relished the chance to bring a fuzzy friend back in to my life.

That was 3 years ago, today.  It took two days of deliberation, two days of her choosing me from the “pet” store (whose domestic kittens are strays people bring in. Lottie was found at the BP station across the street) to bring her home.  The first day she fell asleep in my arms.  On the second day, she saw me come in and started yowling and climbing the side of her cage.  She didn’t want to go back in it.

When I did, I brought home one of my greatest loves.

Name: Lottie Bailey Bartlett

Nicknames: Kitty!, Kitty Fantastico (even though he’s really at my mom’s house), Pishka (or Pish), Poo Poo & Boo Boo, Widdle, Ickle, Bunny, Bug, Darling Lo, Bebe

Likes: Monkey Man, Star Baby (her stuffed unicorn), the fridge, aluminum foil, milk, guacamole, paper (particularly tissue).

Dislikes: the vacuum cleaner, being left alone more than 4 hours, bananas, kitty water fountains, fireworks, when the rain pelts the bedroom window.

Unique Features:
Lottie is, as far as I can tell, predominantly Maine Coon, which leads to a lot of special habits and unique features.  Since she’s just turning 3, her weight & size may increase a lot.  Right now, she’s fairly light, though VERY long (she can take up half a queen sized bed!).  She has tufts of fur from her ears, and very long stark whiskers.  Her typical form of communication is a coo–that very much sounds like a Dilophasaurus.

Idiosyncracies:
She HATES to eat alone– she much prefers to have her toosh scratched while she’s eating.

She loves water, and cannot bear to have the bathroom door shut. She prefers to drink from her paw–she’ll dip it in to water or milk and lick it off over drinking from the bowl.

At 10 o’clock most nights, she starts a game called “Thundercat Rally,” wherein she tears around the house.

She gives BIG HUGS! when you get home.

She’s very, very shy around new people, but very coquettish and playful with the few people she knows and trusts.

Lottie adores her boy; she’ll stare lovingly at him, run to the door & window if she thinks he’s home, and curl up in his lap while I’m away. However, she tries very hard not to show love & affection towards me or the boy if the other is around.  She worries about making us jealous ;)

Miss Lo also quite loves to have her belly rubbed.  She likes her back paws to be massaged, particularly by the fella.

(This picture has been re-taken many times over the years…she just can’t stay out!)

(In the crinoline…. her favorite!)

Here’s to many more years to the best little partner a girl could have.