Sir Fred, Feline Smoking Companion

[mso489]

Here's one of my two Maine Coon lookalike rescue cats out of a drainpipe in Fuqua-Varina, N.C., where the cat rescue group was afraid the litter would drown in the rain. Because I was working full time, they asked me to adopt both him and his brother, Lefty, who is all gray but turns lavender in bright sun. Fred is a poetic soul, preoccupied, intermittently snuggly and independent, and fussy about the quality of cheese or fish. He leaves cloth mice and once the buffet key in my shoes. He likes to watch the smoke rise from my pipes. He famously surfed across the living room carpet on a smoked mackerel wrapped in plastic, a full eight or so feet.

 

[Capt Morgan]

My smoking buddy, or lady rather..

 

[mso489]

Gorgeous coat on that lovely cat. She looks knowing.

 

[Casual]

If there’s anything that can ease a burdened mind, it’s hosting a sleepy cat on one’s lap for an hour.

 

[mso489]

Cats are my drug of choice. It's true they don't talk linguistically, but they certainly communicate with eyes, ears, tails, posture, vocalizations, purring ... quite a vocabulary. And though they don't pick up on words, they get a lot from intonation, rhythm, volume, and our own non-verbal cues. I grew up with a wonderful dog of legend (for me), but cats use the box and walk themselves inside. Dogs can be sort of saintly, but cats are emotionally a lot like people. I love 'em both.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Our cat Louie is not too keen on tobacco smoke, however there is a fantail that seems to frequently appear at the window whenever I’m deliberating over which pipe and blend to go for

 

[brut666]

Beautiful cat, my wife is desperate for a mainecoon but we both have full time jobs and can't give the attention it would need. We just have 6 cats, two rescued from a wheelie bin when they was only 3 weeks old.

 

[kurtbob]

We have a feral torti that comes running across the yard to get in my lap whenever I fire up a bowl of War Horse Bar.....craziest thing I’ve ever seen!

 

[mso489]

Usually Maine Coons are distinctly social. Fred follows me around from room to room sometimes, but pleasantly not all the time. He complains when I pick him up, but then will settle into my lap and enjoy a scratch behind the ears. Ours aren't pedigree, so aren't quite as large as standard examples, but they have all the traits including spritzes of hair between their toes and from their ears, and lavish coats. A friend dubbed Fred The Cashmere Cat. He is also referred to as Sugar and Stripes. Some Maine Coons will accept petting and scratching and then slowly arch their backs and topple over. Fred does this sometimes. When we lost our much adored American shorthair, and we went from three cats to two, it really reduced the labor on care, feeding, and litter. You have to find the right number and not overdo. BROBS has nine cats! But he's young, and I think they are indoor-outdoor cats. Ours stay in.

kurtbob, if the torti gets in your lap, I'm not sure it can be properly described as feral. I fed some feral campus cats for many years, their tribe increasing and dwindling, but they were not approachable. They'd stand back while I filled dishes, and then approach when I stood back. I think the torti has been owned. I'm always puzzling over various visiting cats as to their status. Usually, if their weight is good and their coat is smooth, they belong to someone. Cats are sociable, and gad about. A friend of ours received a Christmas card with his cat posed by the tree with a neighbor family.

 

[mso489]

Notice Fred's "special toe," on his left forepaw. It's his trademark.

 

[BROBS]

Our Maine coon, Simon, constantly likes to follow you around and whine. It’s great. Lol

 

[kcghost]

Maine coons are a lot of cat. I prefer the more sedate variety like Himalayns or Persians. But they are lovely and loving nonetheless.

 

[mso489]

Ours aren't as big as pedigree Maine Coons, and that's good, in terms of handling them. Friends have a full-blooded MC and she is enormous. She has her own passport (actually a veterinary health record) so she can go back and forth to France without a quarantine (before the pandemic). It has her photo and all her medical records. These folks aren't wealthy, just determined to live in both countries, U.S. and France. Roxy is the cat's name.

None of our cats, our two and the late Bella, are/were especially talkative. They will tell us something, but they rarely make speeches. My late wife and I had her grad school cat, a Siamese, who talked all the time, so much, we had to take her home to my wife's mom, who doted on her, revived her when she seemingly died, and kept her going on a heating pad until she was into her twenties.

 

[Capt Morgan]

Well.. Then there is this guy. He just sits around the house doing nothing mostly.

 

[kg.legat0]

Kushy says hi! ...this guy is usually flopped out on the top of the couch behind me while I smoke my pipes and work. He doesn't smoke a pipe but likes to help with online tobacco shopping duties.

Those are some cool kitties @mso489 and @Capt Morgan!

 

[mso489]

Every cat is a completely different character. You think two of them are similar until you get to know them. I think even among litters there can be mixed paternity, which in human terms sounds kind of suspect, but in terms of genetic vigor is a good plan. Our two siblings are likely from the same tom, but they are so markedly different. Fred's trim and athletic, but Lefty is round, but also a good jumper and runner, a "well rounded cat," as I call him. Fred's more bossy toward him, but Lefty does alright for himself. Kushy has great eye color!

 

[BROBS]

Bones and Alice lounging

 

[kurtbob]

Bones and Alice lounging
View attachment 51695

Why does this look like the typical male-female relationship in almost any species, look at that picture.....just look at it!

 

[BROBS]

Why does this look like the typical male-female relationship in almost any species, look at that picture.....just look at it!

Exactly. She jammed herself on top of him legs sticking into his zone. He just takes it.

 

[anotherbob]

Exactly. She jammed herself on top of him legs sticking into his zone. He just takes it.

some cats are like that.