| Meet Susie |
In 1998, Colleen began noticing that her cat, Simon, was kind of 'needy' when she got home from work. "I thought it would be nice for Simon to have a playmate," she remembers. Colleen mentioned this to a co-worker, whose sister happened to be looking for a good home for some kittens. "Their mother was a Siamese cat," says Colleen, "and their father was a great big black Manx," a breed known for its short, stubby tail. Colleen went to look at the kittens that same day, and "fell in love with Susie."
"This little girl obviously thought that I needed her in my life, and I agreed."
"She was this little, tiny ball of black fur, and she was the only kitten left from the litter that actually had a tail?"
Me-me-meow!
But that wasn't all that distinguished Susie. "She was very, very vocal. Still is, as a matter of fact," confides Colleen. "She crawled right into my lap and started telling me all about her life up until that point. When she thought I wasn't paying attention to her, she would lick at my hands until I looked down at her. This little girl obviously thought that I needed her in my life, and I agreed. I took her home that day, and she has never left my side since."
That's No Cat, That's a Night Owl
"When Susie was a kitten," Colleen recalls, "she was full of mischief." Simon would curl up beside Colleen in bed every night, but "Susie was definitely more of a night-owl."
"I woke up, turned on the light, and saw
her dangling from the top of the door
frame by her tiny little claws."
"When everything was really quiet," Colleen continues, "Susie would sneak into bed with Simon and me, and she would pick at him and annoy him until he was wide awake and ready to chase her all around the apartment. They would tear through each room, meowing and tumbling and playing all through the night. A few times, I had to shut my bedroom door and let them have their run of the rest of the apartment, just so I could get some sleep!
"One night, when Susie was just a few months old," Colleen says, "I was awakened by the sound of her tiny, pathetic meows coming from the vicinity of my open bedroom door. I woke up, turned on the light, and saw her dangling from the top of the doorframe by her tiny little claws, crying for me to help her down. I don't know how she got up there, but after I helped her down, she never tried that again."
The Cat Who Loved Dogs
Simon is no longer with Colleen, and Susie, who is now eleven years old, has mellowed quite a bit. "Most of her days are spent napping on her special blanket at the foot of our bed," says Colleen. "When she feels energetic, she'll get up and visit with our three dogs. One of Susie's oddest personality quirks is that she loves dogs, but can't stand other cats."
"I have caught her being
sweet
to
our
dogs, giving
them
a
quick kiss on the head."
Colleen believes that "Susie's affinity for dogs, especially dogs larger than she is, definitely makes her a unique feline." When another cat comes around, "she hisses and spits and tries to pick a fight. But," says Colleen, "I have actually caught her being sweet to our dogs, whether she's snuggling up beside one of them or giving them a quick kiss on the head."
Still, the dogs know who's boss. "Susie absolutely rules the house, and the dogs who live with us can certainly attest to that," explains Colleen. "She has no problem giving any animal who doesn't agree with her a sound smack to the head with her paw!"
Susie does like to spend time in the backyard, "chasing bugs and lizards and nibbling on the grass." But that's as far as she'll go. "Susie runs from me any time I pull the cat carrier out of the storage closet," says Colleen. "She prefers to remain at home, patrolling the house and keeping the other pets in line while we are at work during the day."
A Human Cat Carrier
Susie did take a trip, however. "Susie, a friend, and I took a road trip up to Canada in the summer of 2007," Colleen recalls. "I bought Susie a harness and leash, because I thought she might enjoy a walk whenever we stopped at a rest area. Boy, did I underestimate my girl. No WAY was she going to let me be in control of where she could and could not wander!"
"Susie promptly laid down on the ground
and refused to get up. I tried pulling on
the leash; she didn't budge."
The first time Colleen put on the harness and leash and let her out of the vehicle, "Susie promptly lay down on the ground and refused to get up. I tried pulling on the leash; she didn't budge." So, for the duration of the trip, "when Susie needed fresh air, I carried her over my shoulder to let her get a good look at the great outdoors."
It's a Cat's Life
When she's home, a typical day for Susie begins with a visit with the dogs, "during which she most often gives kisses and licks to her 'baby sister,' a four-year-old Lab and Golden Retriever mix." Next, "she'll usually have a drink, maybe a bite to eat, and then spend some time grooming herself and napping again until I come home from work," says Colleen.
"When I come home from work, Susie greets me with a loud meow, as though she's asking me how my day went. I usually give her some one-on-one Mommy time, and we talk to each other about what went on during the day. Susie is the most talkative cat I've ever known, and she loves it when I talk to her, too.
Susie and BLUE
"I first switched Susie to Blue Buffalo about a year ago, after my dog responded so positively to BLUE," explains Colleen. "Since then, Susie has maintained a healthy weight, her eyes are bright, and her coat is shiny. She has no digestive problems, and she has not had a single hairball. Her urinary tract problems have also basically vanished. According to her vet, Susie is 'the picture of health,' and I think BLUE has a lot to do with that."
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