The Pets of Chez Foodbowl

So, I thought I’d introduce you to my own pets.

First up we have the cats:

This is Turbo, the very first pet my husband and I got together. We got Turbo as a kitten at a pet store (before either of us knew any better) in April of 1997. He was only about five weeks old (again, before we knew better!) and was the runt of the litter. We have a picture somewhere of him sticking his teeny little head entirely into my husband’s mouth. It’s really not as strange as it sounds – he was really that small! He’s now huuuuuuge and when he stands on just his hind legs can easily stretch up to reach the kitchen counter.

Anyway, Turbo is also known as The Dude and the picture above really sums him up, he’s always that mellow unless he’s got The Crazies, which means he’s acting like an oversized kitten. We refer to him as a “sack of potatoes” sometimes because he’ll basically let you do anything you want to him, include plopping him over your shoulder like, well, a sack of potatoes, if you so desired. I have no shame in saying he is absolutely the best cat I’ve ever known. Just don’t tell the other two:

Next up is Sage. Do not let that beautiful little face fool you – she is a Hell Cat. Seriously. Her nicknames (used only by the adults) include Bitch Kitty and Psycho.

She’s always been extremely skittish and I do wonder if it had to do with her start in life: Sage was acquired as a kitten from one of my co-workers in July 1997. Said co-worker had an eight-year-old brother who, to put it bluntly, should not have been around animals. I think Sage was traumatized at one point or another (or probably several) during her short start with this family and just never really improved. She and Turbo got along pretty well for about eight months before a theoretical little switch in her brain was thrown and she’d have nothing more to do with him. She has claws and knows how to use them (and we’ve all got the scars to prove it).

Lastly we have Kricket. We adopted Kricket from the Salt Lake City Humane Society in January 1998. We went in “just to look” and the rest is history. She is skittish but not nearly as much as Sage, and loves to cuddle, though she will not, under any circumstance, get on your lap. She’ll butt up against you for rubs and pets, but if you even attempt to get her on your lap you’ll get about half a second of kitty attention before she’s off the couch and into hiding.

Both she and Sage can be found under a bed or behind the TV when guests come over. Turbo, on the other hand, is the first to greet everyone.

Turbo, Sage and Kricket eat Natural Balance Cat Food.

Next up, meet the dogs and rat.