by David R. Michaels

Created on: February 09, 2009

I live in an older home that was built in the 1920's or 1930's
in North Texas along with 5 other people three of us walk on two legs, while the other three walk on four. You guessed it. We have pets felines to be more exact but, our attitude has always been that these are our children, more specifically, furry little humans in four-legged bodies. There are 2 males one is a long-haired tiger named "TuffY" that is 10 years old and 16 pounds, the other a short-haired tiger named "Simba", who is approaching his "terrible twos" by virtue of his physical age, but in reality has been there since birth.

There is also a 3-year old Calico female that was errantly named after one of my favorite beverages - "Sam Adams" Boston lager - but has since been named "Samantha Adams" due to overlooking the fact that 95% of all calicoes are typically female. She was imported into the household along with me in August of 2007, when I relocated from California to Texas. She is now affectionately called "Sam."

My sister has appropriately coined the term "Catitude" to properly display that part of their personalities that is definitely a human characteristic concealed in cat's clothing.
For these reasons, along with other personality quirks and the fact that they are strictly indoor cats, they have been bestowed with the following nicknames.

Tuffy is referred to as "Dingbat" because, according to my sister, "when he goes outside, he has the tendency to get stupid." Simba has been more than appropriately nicknamed "Busy Ass" because he is continually trying our patience, getting into trouble, leaving a damage trail in his wake, and testing the 9-lives theory about feline longevity. And Sam . . . . . well she is the "Diva", named as such by my sister's son because of her unwillingness to associate with the two males. Suffice it to say, she has a marked propensity for expressing that "catitude" while loudly spitting at either one of them whenever they dared to approach her.

Simba and Tuffy have been members of the household since the kitten stage, whereas Sam adopted me.
So I never really experienced that with her. It is more than obvious that all three of them have been loved and cared for every step of the way. However, it is even more apparent that this is really their house they merely allow us to occupy space within. Despite the cynicism and humor above, it is their care and well-being that is the topic of this content.

Cats are a joy no big secret there. When you bring home a new kitten,

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