Annie
So with four dogs and one cat, you’d think the cat would be in trouble, but if you think that, you don’t know cats. Or Annie.
Annie was a rescue from the mean streets of Dayton, so even as a kitten, she had street cred. Then she lived for a good chunk of her younger years in German Village in Columbus which, while not exactly Beirut, had its share of rats and raccoons, neither of which ventured into our yard more than once. And then, of course, we moved to the country where she had nine acres of wildlife to quell. She’s a tough old broad, which is probably why we get along so well. Annie’s been in one book–she was the model for Elvis in Bet Me–but that was before I began Argh, so I’ve never really blogged about her. And now, due to popular demand, here’s Annie:
Annie and Lucy get along great. Annie and Wolfie have issues they worked out. If you read Faking It, you may remember Steve’s approach to cats. This was also Wolfie’s approach to Annie, and then she’d swat him good, and they’d curl up together and go to sleep. Now, they just exist together. Well, you know family, there are always problems but you stick anyway.
Milton is taking longer to absorb the “cat is family” idea, but they’re doing better. They can sit on the bed together now. Well, Milton sits on the laptop, but the proximity is the same.
Which is not to imply that Annie has any respect for him.
Meanwhile, Lucy and Veronica lounge:
It’s a peaceable kingdom.
As long as Milton is asleep and everybody recognizes that Annie is not to be trifled with.
Annie looks like she’s led an adventurous life. How old is she (sorry if you’ve mentioned this already)?
Nope, I hadn’t. She was a stray so it’s always a guess but she’s at least fifteen.
You know, Lucy looks an awful lot like Pink, got that Oreo cooking thing going, with the spots and everything. Annie looks like she don’t take no nonsense from nobody, gorgeous coloring, too.
Do they let you sleep on that bed, too, or do you get the couch? Just wondering.
Annie is gorgeous-and she definitely looks like she could kick some serious doggie ass if she had to. But Milton-asleep on the laptop!?! That is one strange puppy dog that you have on your hands. Which is, of course, the fun part.
Your menagerie puts me in mind of one of my favorite “Gilmore Girls” quotes: “Oy with the poodles, already.” Only, in this case, that would be “Oy with the dachsunds, already.” But I love all the animal posts, so that would be “oy” in a good way. I feel that “oy” is an equal opportunity expression.
And now I should go back to sleep so that I don’t continue aimlessly babbling all day at work. Oy.
Awwwwe! Annie’s adorable. And so are the rest of your babies.
Annie is a tortoise shell! She’s beautiful, and looking very fit for at least 15. Taking on three new dogs at that age must be quite a job.
Bossy cats are my favourites. With dogs and needy cats you always feel responsible for their happiness. But bossy cats always assume responsibility over everything they survey. That means all you have to do is supply the food and open doors when ordered.
In my experience all bossy cats are killers. Hunting seems to give cats inner peace. It’s the cats that have spent their lives cooped up in a flat that are the neurotic ones.
Annie is beautiful. I love tortoise shell coloring. She does have quite a stern look in her eye though. I hope Milton’s learning curve isn’t too high…
The look Annie gives you in the fourth picture says a lot. “If he touches me. It’s on and cracken’”
You did say she had street cred.
Mmmm, cozy warm laptop. On a cold day its great how much heat these devices pump out.
Might be time to get a larger bed?
Don’t worry about the cats needing rescued in Dayton anymore. Even though we live northwest of Dayton, we seem to be the house that attracts all the strays and unwanted felines in a 40 mile area. And a few dogs along the way also.
http://stevethorn.com/blog/index.php?/archives/309-Cat-Farm.html
I am so in love with Milton. He just has the best face ever!
Annie reminds me of our old cat Gizmo. Only Gizmo didn’t have a tail (Manx). I think the lack of tail made her even more likely to take no crap from animal or human.
That last picture amuses me. My kitten wreaks havoc on my laptop, I can’t imagine what Milton does.
I love these pet posts you’re doing. You’ve made me realize that it’s time for us to get another dog. We lost our Samantha to cancer last April and I thought we should wait a year, but…well, we were never going to make that anyway. I’ve been trolling Petfinder for months - we should just take the plunge. So…thank you.
BTW, do you keep any of what Milton types? Seems like he might have something interesting to say.
I’ve wanted a tortie for a couple years now, and I swore I’d get the one at the local shelter if she didn’t have a home by Thanksgiving. She came home with me the day after! Emma (about eight months old) is still settling in, but she’s fearless, having no qualms about wrestling with the much larger 3-year-old cat.
She’s a sweetie, but she hasn’t purred yet, despite clearly blissing out when she’s patted. Anyone else have a cat without a purr?
Annie is a beauty! But then I’m partial to torties, having one myself.
gin - some cats purr more than others. Like with people, some are just more expressive that way. Some just purr less as they get older, or not as loud. I guess that’s a lot like people too.
Oh, yeah. Annie rules!
Jenny, thanks for sharing her with us too. I love the expression on her face as Miltie is assuming the position on your laptop again. Do you think he likes the hum and the warmth of it? Or perhaps he’s really an alien and that’s what alien hammock looks like.
STEVE: This one’s for you:
http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2007/12/funny-pictures-child-support-cat.jpg
Jenny, I hope you use the compressed-air keyboard cleaner frequently, as dachshund hair isn’t an authorized peripheral for a laptop.
And the fact that Annie was the model for Elvis solves one problem for me: How could Elvis be both male and tortie? Tortie/calico coloring is linked to the female sex gene, so 99.9% of them are female, and the few males are usually sterile.
See Cats Are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics by Laura L. Gould
Annie is one “tough looking” feline.
All success to her.
Wow, I love Annie. That is one serious cat, she’s got the scowl down perfectly. Makes me miss my sixteen year old black and white, Schmoozer, such a talker.
My crazy dog loves cats and makes a daily visit to sit outside a screen door and look in at a neighbor’s cat, Cherise, who is afraid of everyone, animal and human, except my 100lb Akita. Strange, huh? I’ve never let them get close though, not sure what the dog would do.
And Milton, Milton is priceless. I see him in a future novel, for sure.
Milton really reminds me of a special needs child, at least concerning laptops.
Annie is a stunner- I love Milton asleep on the laptop. The warm keys, the hum of the fan.
Annie is gorgeous and like all cats, surveyer of her domain! *g* I have a tortie that looks alot like Annie, only Annie has pretty green eyes and mine a more burnished gold. Milton looks quite comfy! *g*
Annie certainly is … one tough old broad. Quite queenly, really. We are not amused.
You have a knack for capturing your pets on “film”. My shots are usually blurry — although I once got an excellent shot of our cat accidentally due to the lag digital cameras have.
We’d just adopted her about three months earlier her — she was also a stray, so we guess she was just over a year old then. She used to stare at our parakeet, and you could almost see the intictive hunter take over in her brain. I wanted to try to capture that look, and when I snapped the picture, instead, I caught the time she actually made the leap up to the cage. There is an empty spot where the cat was, and her back feet dangling down into the picture.
Needless to say, we re-arranged the bird.
Annie has the most perfect regal air about her and what spectacular coloring! I think I’m in love.
Torties are all tough. Go, Annie!
Cats living with a pack of dogs are so funny. They really couldn’t care less about the pack dynamics because they know they will be in charge of everything in the end. I also love that Milton likes to hang out on your laptop. I guess the warmth of the motor outweighs the annoyingly, hard keyboard. Thanks for the family pictures.
Annie’s lovely, and it’s nice for the feline to get a little screen time.