Tamarakay, I love the tale of Sam the protective boxer . . . and Crackers the parrot. PEEKABOO
Let's see . . . (I'm not the only one to cry writing this list, am I?)
Talisha - Best Cat of All Time. Small black tuxedo cat w/ a white mustache, shorthaired, very smart, endlessly purring, born when I was 2 years old. The runt of the litter. The tiny kitten would follow my mother on multiple trips from the car to the house while Mom unloaded groceries. Mom had planned to give her away like the other kittens, but could not resist this, & I'll always be grateful. Occasionally teamed up with Cassiopeia to topple the Christmas tree. Talisha knocked at doors at bedtime, then slept under my covers every night 'til the air got thin, patiently allowed doll clothes dress-up (rare, thankfully), loved to "talk"--especially to get me to share the bacon or canteloupe--& allowed herself to be worn around my neck like a fur stole. My constant companion. She died peacefully in her sleep when I was 23.
Cassiopeia (or "Cassie") - Talisha's mother, a Calico. Disappeared sadly early in our acquaintance.
Tinkerbell - German shepherd mix. Runt of the litter, hence the name. Smart & puckish. Good dog, through & through.
Calpurnia - Tinkerbell's mother. A Husky Shepherd mix with a deep bark. Gorgeous dog, & a total escape artist. Understood more English than any dog I've ever met. Between the efforts of Calpurnia & Tinkerbell, we were never burglarized, though the houses on each side of us were.
Alison - longhaired, grey & dusty lanky foundling cat, pretty but stupid. Smart enough to find my mother on a downtown street and beg to be taken home, however. Gave me a tiny permanent scar on my face next to the outside corner of my eye when I rescued her from a tree.
Mickey - big grey & black tigerstriped Tom. A foundling, who had the strangest 2-tone meow with rolled "R"s. It sounded like he was saying "Not now?" Would go down to the basement, get lonely & mournfully start in with a ghoulish, "Meow-WHOA. Meow-WHOA." Loved him to pieces.
Butterscotch - a butterscotch colored mouse. Escaped. Was found mostly eaten. I was not told about this for years, which was kind.
Simone & Björn - gerbils; adorable parents of
Peter, Mickey, Davy, and Mike. My memory is hazy, but at one point the babies AND one of the parents disappeared, after which I bore the long-lived remaining Gerbil a nebulous grudge for his or her refusal to talk. You'd think there'd be carnage if the young were eaten, but no bones or guts of 5 gerbils was ever found. I like to think that the remaining gerbil helped the others go over the Wall.
Sheba - German Shepherd mix. Sweet. From the pound. Sleek, like a doe. Very sensitive & sweet, but loud enough to defend the house.
Madeline (Maddy) - Another Shepherd mix, & Sheba's companion. Mostly black. My mother was always convinced that a picnic bench had fallen on Maddy's head as a puppy, because 1) there was a downed bench one day, and 2) poor Maddy was relentlessly stupid & lacked spatial awareness like no dog I've ever seen. Always obliviously knocking things over with a blithe hip-bump. Sweet and protective, though.
Perseus - a Tonkinese (Siamese coloring, strong Burmese build) shorthaired with blue eyes. Almost tied with Talisha for best cat in the world. Would play tag with me, which I discovered by accident, when he chased me back (I shrieked in surprise). Would sit on my lap like a baby with his little drumsticks sticking out, while I petted his tummy & kissed him on the head. I lived with him for 4 years from when he was 9 months old, & it broke my heart when I had to move out and leave him (he was not legally mine). It's been 10 years & I haven't had another pet since. My apartment is not as big as I'd like to offer a pet, and I've had such special animals over the years that I'm not rushing into it unless "lightning" strikes.
but we've had him 12 years. As ken says Boy is retiring. Cataracts, going deaf, every day he is with us is a gift.
