Cats with Distinction

Main Person just told me that I'm lazy. Why? Because it's 2pm and I'm still in bed. Sometimes a cat just has to sleep in.

But now that I'm up, it's time for a post (which I'm writing in bed). I thought I'd share with all the new blog readers a little bit more about me and The Gang. Obviously, all of us felines have our unique qualities. For our friend Milo, it's his voluminous meow and freakishly powerful strength. So, what makes us, here in Cat Condo Central, unique? Well, here are some pieces of trivia that you may not have known.

Here is a photo that Main Person (M.P.) took of me just a few minutes ago, before telling me to get out of bed. What do you notice?

Yep, I have a very unique tail. M.P.'s mother calls it "special," and I think she's right. See, most tails are long and fairly straight, though they may curl around when we wave them. Not mine. It is about 4-5 inches long with a knot on the end. What most People don't know (but most cats do) is that this is a special trait of Siamese cats. My ancestors were actually guard cats for the royal family in Thailand. They used to let the royal people keep rings on their tails and tie a knot at the end so the ring would stay on. That was a long time ago, but after so many of us had our tails tied, the knot just sort of stuck around. Now, you may be thinking that you've never seen a Siamese with a knot in his or her tail. That's because The Breeders didn't like them (they have a very odd aesthetic) so they only bred cats with no knot or kink in their tails. But a few of us have survived. And, in fact, my tail is really important because it shows that I have a direct genetic line to the Royal Cats of Thailand.


Third Cat also has a special feature. For her, it's all in the paw. When she started living with Second Person last summer, he thought her paws were just like every other cat's. But one day, he and M.P. were giving her a pedicure and they noticed something odd when they got to her back-right paw: only three claws to trim! Then they noticed that she only has three toes. So, now her nickname is The Three-Toed Cat.


You can see here, her back-right paw (top photo) and her back-left paw (bottom photo). She hasn't told us yet how it happened, although we all suspect it represents a dark period of her life, so we try not to push the subject. And we tell her that, like my tail, her back-right paw is cool.


OK, last and final cat of the fearless tirumvirate: Other Cat. His most unique quality is his voice, which I cannot share on this blog yet (we're still a little technologically challenged here). But it is pretty high, not very befitting of a cat of his age. (Plus, it totally allows him to get away with all sorts of hijinks with M.P., who somehow associates his voice with kittens...hmph.) There's also his udder. Yes, u-d-d-e-r. Like a cow. Which is funny because he kind of looks like one anyway. It is long and the best bit is how it jiggles (well, maybe it's more of a sway) back and forth when he runs down the hall. Weird, because he's a little scrawny other than that udder. Still, this is one of his features which (although he's trying) is unlikely to disappear, so we love it. I can't get a photo of it today (you can kind of see it in his big-tail photo in the post below), so instead I'll show you the scar that he is currently sporting above his right eye. I think Third Cat may be responsible for it.

Fellow readers, what other unique marks do you have? You can even leave your comment anonymous, if you don't want anyone to know about it.