Meet the Shopcats
Libraries have them. Turkish carpet shops have them. I have them. The supervisors, the comforters, the charmers…
Granada is a Snowshoe – a relatively new (since the 1960’s) and uncommon breed in the USA. He and his brother Toledo joined my household in August 2012, two weeks after Odin’s departure. Granada’s sapphire blue eyes stop traffic outside of my shop. He was the alpha male while Toledo was with us, now he is the Number One ShopCat and proud of it. He plays at being helpful, with a definiete emphasis on play. Everything becomes his toy sooner or later.
Toledo was a Bombay, jet black except for a patch of white on his throat and belly, and whiskers which started to come in white on one side of his face. He and Granada were brothers, rescued from a field in Corvalis where they were dumped when they were about a year old. Toledo was my doorbell and protector, and had a fascination for scissors and rotary cutters. He was diagnosed with early stage renal failure in 2018, and took a downward turn in January 2022. After a series of valiant rallies, he breathed his last breath at 6:35 PM on March 4, 2022 with me and Granada at his side. The shop won’t be the same without his rampant curiosity.
Odin was my original ShopCat, a domestic longhair descended from the Norwegian Forest Cat. He was also rescued after his family moved and left him behind. An operation on his right ear severed the nerves and left it partially flopped, which earned him the nickname of “Pirate Kitty” in my old neighborhood. For six months after that operation, he could not close his right eye, hence the name of Odin. He was my defender and companion through some pretty tough times. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge in August 2012, age 12.
2 Comments on “Meet the Shopcats”
Dayna Kirkpatrick
That is my favorite picture of you and Odin!Replyaugustphoenix
Mine too! That was the day I cracked open my first Mac laptop and captured that shot via PhotoBooth. Odin was as curious as I