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"There
is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." -
Unknown
Cat of The Last Quarters of
2000:
Our Cat of The Quarter
for the last quarters of 2000 is Shadow
Scout. Of course this little guy usually just goes by his
nickname, "Scout". (He would have
appeared in this section earlier, but he wasn't born until
August.)
"Scout"
is a fluffy and feisty kitten, and still just a little on the chubby
side. Although at first glance, his moderately long hair looks
to be solid black, it appears as if he may develop some lighter gray
sections as he gets older--and, at present, he's growing like a
weed. Although he's only a couple months old, he is virtually
fearless and frequently jumps on the backs of full grown cats that
are five times his size. He also has developed a method where
he can launch himself through the air from a chair or couch and
catch a solid claw hold on the jeans of folks passing by.
After leaving his dad (Louie) and mom, (Racey) and moving to his new
home, "Shadow Scout's"
first pal turned out to be Skippy and he also took a shine to the
resident senior cat, Mittens, with whom he often naps. Skippy,
who has tended to be more or less a loner, now waits for Scout
to appear in the kitchen
in the early morning hours, so they can take turns chasing each
other wildly about the house before breakfast. While this is
serious business for Scout, it's high octane
entertainment for Skippy.
Mona and Norman, however, needed some time to adjust to him, with
Norman tending to ignore him and Mona keeping her distance while
throwing Scout
an occasional hiss. However, both of these cats now give Scout
a limited measure of cautious attention, although he still tends to
swing his paws at them on occasion.
Scout
is an exceptionally intelligent little guy, a fast learner with a
penchant for the mischievous. He has a cute habit of standing
on his hind legs in the manner of a polar bear. However, he
has found that this trick enables him to slam open drawers shut, and
he does so with a certain flair.
Scout hasn't
settled on a favorite food yet, but he does enjoy eating spaghetti
noodles in the fashion of a cartoon cat. Although he's been
sticking pretty much with Gerbers baby food, he's become curious
about other foods as well. Unfortunately, however, he tends to
conduct his dietary experiments on foods being consumed by the
non-felines who share his home.
Scout's
favorite place to sleep is in his own cat bed, but he's not shy
about tossing a few zeds in less traditional places, such as
sprawled on a perch on the back of a couch--and upstairs on
the floor next to Mittens.
His hyper kittenish antics usually amuse everyone, both cats and
folks. And while observers tend to laugh at the serious
expression on his face as he runs full tilt through a room, soars
through the air from a lofty roost, or stops, drops and rolls, it's
hard not to envy Scout's abundance of energy.
What makes him special, though, is his loving nature that shows
through when he settles down for a cuddle--although during these
breaks there is the possibility he may be dreaming up new strategies
to surprise and shock the other cats.
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