Meet the Furs.
Mittins
years old. Government Name: Mittins Crown Princess of [Redacted City Name]. Our grumpy old lady.
Ruby
years old. Government Name: Rubeus Minerva. The sassiest tortie in the land.
Luna Nubgood
years old. Aliases: Nubbins, Noona, Pudgy-Pudge, Stinky Pete. The friendliest tailless wonder you'll ever meet.
Gouda Pickle
11 months old. Aliases: Gouda Girl, Piccadilly Circus Pizza, Stinky Pete. The happiest girl in the world.
Our four little amigas are a big part of our life. Four may seem like a lot, but they all have their place. They are all super smart - sometimes too smart for their own good - which gets them into mischief sometimes!
Patty has taught the cats all how to 'sit' on command, which we use every day before they get fed, as well as 'open' to open their microchip feeders to pour the food in. They have been working on 'accio' ('come here') and 'confundo' ('spin around'). The goal is to have a few little (Harry Potter themed) tricks up their sleeves to impress visitors with.
Gouda is super eager to please and much more food driven than any of the cats -- well, maybe tied with Luna on that ;-) -- and has quite a few more tricks than them. If Luna could focus better, I think she'd have more to show for it, but she seems to have been picking up on a few things from watching Gouda too!
Mittins.
Mittins is our sassy polydactyl who has a lot of love to give, but will also not hesitate to let you hear her disapproval. (Hence, her 'grumpy old lady' nickname.) Whether it be not getting fed on time, not getting to go outside in the summer, or one of her little sisters bothering her - she'll let you know! We've had her for of her years and have loved every minute of it.
The Princess is often very subdued around guests, she will most likely watch you from afar until she has a good read on you. She is extraordinarily intelligent (always outsmarting us) and the best office assistant ever. One of her favorite things to do is explore the backyard when the weather allows and otherwise soak up the sun every chance she gets. She and Luna are surprisingly alike - which we attribute to their head butting moments. She'll alawys be our 'baby' and we wouldn't know what we'd do without her!
Ruby.
Ruby is our OG Harry Potter kitty - named after two amazing characters, Rubeus Hagrid and Minerva McGonagal. She's a little on the skiddish side, appearances of new objects that were not present at her last visit to a room will cause her concern and her first instinct is to hiss at you - she means nothing by it, it's just the tortie-tude coming out. She is the most cuddly kitty (she's got the interesting ability to "self pet" when you hold her) and will always find your hand in order to force some pets. We are forever grateful to have the pleasure of including her in our little family.
We sometimes joke that she never learned "how to cat" properly, as she very rarely meows, chases her tail, and tries to bury her food. But no matter her un-cat-like tendencies, she's Luna's best friend and playmate. And when she needs some alone time, she likes to bury herself under all.the.blankets. All of our purrs seem to appreciate a good old fashioned blanket fort - but this one more than the others. So if you're ever in search of her, check under the blankets first!
Luna.
Little Luna... At four months old she was found abandoned with a terrible injury to her tail that resulted in amputation. Because of this, she has many nicknames - Nubbins, Nubgood, Bunny Rabbit. She's also lovingly referred to as our Little Pudgy Pudge, since she has stayed somewhat petite, but with all her weight going to her little belly. She is the lover of the group, ready and willing to give some leg rubs to anyone that is welcomed into our home.
She is also the queen of sound effects - always a mew or rawr or purr as she frolicks around the house. Speaking of which, she is the proud owner of the loudest purr around - and will purr through anything, cuddles, vet visits, wrestling with Ruby - always purring! Her newest task has been learning to walk on a leash and harness - she's a little too high strung yet to be allowed in the backyard without one, and she's taken to the harness the best out of the group. Hopefully we can get her over her fear of dogs and take her on walks in the neighborhood!
Gouda.
Gouda Pickle...the newest member to join this crazy club. When an all grey pittie came into a local shelter pregnant, she was dubbed 'Momma Hippo', and her babies became known as the "Hungry Hippos". Everyone watched them grow through the shelter's social media posts and waited in anticipation for them to be old enough to be adopted. We got preapproved well ahead of time and were very lucky to be one of the first to call in and choose a Hippo. When we went to her foster home to meet the puppies, she actually came running right for Patty - so we like to say she chose us as well.
It was quite different raising a puppy compared to three kitties. Lots of sleepless nights those first couple weeks - but she is smart as a whip and quite comical as well. Always keeping everyone on their toes. She's also quickly become known as 'the happiest girl in the world', because nothing from skin issues, to vet visits, to GI troubles, none of it can keep that pibble smile from her face or her tail from wagging.