About the Critters

Go to Jacko & Tabitha's Tribute Page

Merriwhether (think the hobbit) is our miricle cat. We don't even know how we managed to get him. In the rainy cold winter of 1999 a stray cat of the neighborhood brought merriwhether and his brother pippin into the apartment thru a temperarily open door. They were sick and very tiny. We had seen them around the neighborhood but had been unable to catch them. Anyway, Doug managed to catch pippin but merriwhether was seen running out the open door. The house was shut up tight and a few hours later, who should come out from under the couch but...Merriwhether! THere was no third kitten...or at least no third kitten was ever seen. He is a beautiful, snuggly yet skiddish cat who may be deaf to some tones.

Ziggy...our youngest child. We think he is about two years old. He was supposed to be an outdoor cat, we took him in for a friend that could no longer keep him. He is not an outdoor cat. His idea of being outside is to sit in the chair right outside the door. Periodically he will do a little survey of the garden, at top running speed as to not be absent from his chair for long. You have to rub his tummy (aka stimulate the hunger center) so he can eat the grass in the yard...Just imagine what can happen at dinner time. He loves to be a part of everything, he sits on the counter while we eat...just so he can be a part of it. He is a terribly sweet kitty and loves to play. He however does not like things out of place. If you want to avoid the light fixtures getting hit (you know the ones in the ceiling) I suggest you not leave things out of place. He will jump up, find the out of place object and leap straight into the air two or three feet. Very exciting. Autumn with falling leaves in the yard is hysterical.

Kyla was named after a wolf pup I helped raise once at a wildlife refuge. Both Kyla's growled when they played as a kitten/ pup. Here kyla is being the unofficial spokescat for Gateway! Kyla is a very sweet cat who spends most of her time curled up cuddling merriwether. She is also miriams kitty. In the morning miriam opens mommies door and kyla and toddler go into miriams room for a while. It is pretty funny to see a four year old pick kyla up....but it happens. Kyla came to live with us after being turned in to a veterinary clinic by a family who found the litter and already had a bunch of cats. Heather took kyla and Heathers father took one of the boy kittens. Kyla is a very meowy cat and when she relaxes she lies flat on her tummy crossing her front paws out in front of her and her back paws out in back of her. She also likes to sit on the top of open doors, which is definately something to watch for before you knock a door shut! I have done it, it is scary for everyone involved!

Tabitha was the poofy cheeked kitten who showed up on Dougs doorstep in 1994 or so. She was a fiesty little thing...hence the nickname "satans kitty." She was also known by the names.."zoo zoo bug". She was a very playful cat and if you dared let her out too near dark...well lets just say it would be a long night if you refused to go to bed before all the kittens were in. We lost her this past summer (2005) to Lung Cancer.

Pippin (the other hobbit) came to us with his brother Merriwhether (see above left). They were both horribly sick and Heather spent many a night up with them. Pippin is the most friendly cat in the known universe, and a great baby cat. Roll on him?? Sit on him?? Fine with him! Moving and you have to keep him in a carrier for hours??? Fine with him...He's always lived in a carrier! Very adaptable kitty. And no strangers can come near without everyone knowing.. A stray cat comes in the yard and the pippin goes off...Lets just say that volunteer firefighters in all the western states are probably thinking they have been called in! And when he is happy...that bushy tail arches all the way up and touches his head!

Linus, also known as "the nard" and "the urinator". He was heathers first kitty. He came from the Humaine society. He got his name because as a kitten he carried around a little blue washcloth everywhere he went. As more cats were added to our home, he did not deal well. He eventually went to a cat therapist, so to speak who put him on kitty prozac. He had some side effects after a while and also began to urinate on Heathers bed, with heather in it. So....A covered dog run was obtained, and tarped on all sides for the winter, complete with a kitty igloo and bedding for warmth, and now he lives in that at night and can roam in the yard if all the other cats are in. He is a huge cat and very lovable. He likes to give kisses.

Jack-o was our "old boy". He came to live with us when he was about 10 years old. He was a stray cat then and Doug would lay on the sidewalk, on his back, to show he could be trusted. Eventually Jack became a very docile cat, who could still "huff" and make everyone back off. We lost him at the ripe old age of 22 or 23, in May of 2005. We miss him dearly...

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