Bootsie, Tubby, Mama, Genma, Tofu, Taffy, and Emma

by Harriet Crestol
(Woodland Hills, CA)

All of my cats were special in their own way. Bootsie was a tuxedo cat, my first cat in CA in 1969.

She was pregnant and had 5 kittens in front of the refrigerator. I was working with my husband that day, but 4 daughters (3, 8, 10, and 14) watched the whole birthing.

She cleaned them up, cleaned herself, and the floor was cleaned also. She was an outdoor cat and lived to be 14.

When my mother was visiting from FL she would go to the Farmer's Market and buy fresh chicken livers from the poultry man and fix a meal for Bootsie.

When she saw my mother coming home after shopping, she would appear out of nowhere and rush up the stairs to wait for her meal. Even when she was 14 and dying from cancer, she got the strength to run up the stairs.

Tubby and Mama (Bogart & Bacall... Bogie and Baby) were brother and sister from the same litter came along in a month. They were the best cats ever. They had never been apart.

Tubby passed away in October and Mama grieved until she lost 6 pounds in 3 months and we had to put her down... they were 18 years old.

Tofu was a magnificent Himalayan cat with blue eyes that someone did not take care of and did not want to keep. It had belonged to my granddaughter's friend.

She had moved back east and the girl's father was supposed to take care of him. I was thrilled to take him. We got him groomed and took him to the vet. We got a clean bill of health. He was so good and friendly... slept with me and Genma.

One day the back door and front door were open but not secured. A big gust of wind came thru and the front door slammed into his tail. He lost part of his tail.

We grabbed him and the tail and rushed him to the vet. Our vet's husband who happens to be a cat specialist was in the office and he operated on Tofu.

The operation was a success, but they kept him overnight with no one in the office. When they came in, Tofu had gone into a diabetic coma. He did not make it.

Genma was a big black and white lovable cat. I love black and white cats the most. One day when there was a cat food scare going on, he spent the whole weekend crying, so we took him to the vet.

He had terrible sores in his mouth and the vet could not help him. None of the other cats had a problem and they ate the same food. I was devastated. I think that we got Emma and Taffy then.

Emma was a little black and white Manx cat with a stubby tail. She was 6 when we adopted her and she was with us for quite a long time. She was not friendly and poor Taffy had to watch her back in order to eat.

Emma would go for the food whenever anyone else tried to eat. She also never would use the litter box. She had her special corner and would proceed to do her duty even when we were right there saying "NO NO NO."

She and Taffy passed away within days of each other. All the cats were rescues and all were indoor cats except Bootsie.

We now have our first cat with claws, and he scratches me all the time. He was called Goofy at the pound and the reason for being there was EVIDENCE. He must have had criminal owners or something.

He is a very large orange tabby cat. Tubby and Taffy were orange tabbies also. Now you know my cat history from 1968 thru 2016. Oh, we renamed Goofy. He is my BUDDY, and he is very large and very handsome.