The Chamber of Felines

Mochi Luna
…a.k.a. Mochitas, Moch, Cheetie, Cheetah, Miss Mittens

The eldest of our two current siblings, Mochi came to us with an easy-going temperament, but the playful attitudes of a little lunatic. She’s all grown up now, of course–or at least, she’ll act like you should think that. Much of the time she’ll seem like she’s the sensible one, quietly strolling around and taking in the scene or relaxing in some nice, sunny patch, but she’s still six shades of playful under the hood, a kitten in a kitty-cat’s body.

At breakfast time, you will meet one of the two–either the sensible, grown-up, mature cat, who is happy to hop up to her food and have some delicious breakfast, or the kitten lunatic, who has decided that at breakfast time what she needs to do is run away. Repeatedly, over and over.

Teddy Logan
…a.k.a. Mister Boy, Tedmond Mittens, Tedmonster, Mysterioso, Mister Fuzzypants, Oso Blanco

You haven’t met Teddy, but chances are good that Teddy loves you anyway. He pretty much loves everyone, though he probably loves his Aunt Lori more than just about anybody else. The younger sibling of Mochi Luna, Teddy is ten months his sister’s junior, and is a goofball sweetheart from head to toes. He’s also a big galumph, weighing in at eighteen pounds of fluffy joy–and when he plays with you, he only nibbles, and keeps his claws safely stashed. (Unless you’re on the other side of some bedding, in which case, anything goes.)

Teddy loves to snuggle with his sister, who does not always love to snuggle with him, which can lead to some unusual snuggle stand-offs at times. He’s also adopted his sister’s breafkast Run Away game, but he plays it at a leisurely, relaxed trot, and only goes a short way because–when it boils down to it–he wants his breakfast, and would quite like you to carry him over to it, please.

Gone, but not forgotten

Mothra
…a.k.a. Moch, Motreet-och, Squirrelmaster, Devil Cat

Smart and dangerous, but sweet and warm, Mothra had that typical Calico temperament that switches on a dime for no reason–she could go from love and warmth to devil hellcat without so much as a sign, and she really didn’t like it if you tried to play games with her in a way that would deny her access to good, blood-filled flesh. She’d sneak around whatever you had, and try to get to the warm bit every time. And when it came to play-time with other toys, she’d been built with springs in, and loved to leap up as high as she could manage. Which was pretty damn high.

After my wife, Mothra was my first friend in the USA, and she was always fun. She came up with her own games (the Motreet Game, which involved scratching on a closed door, then running away before you could answer it–then repeating it when the door closed again). She hunted feet or feather-toys with equal fury, explored the Wild Outside (with certain provisions), and she was playful to the end. She would bug anyone preparing meals for a cut of raw beef, and also loved to lick the outsides from Sour Patch Watermelon Slices. She was not a fan of potatoes, bananas, or toothpaste.

Michiko
…a.k.a. Neko, Charmingtones, Miss Charms, Naughty Fluffypants

Michiko was a sweetheart to people, but a territorial monster to all other cats and animals. The only animal she ever encountered that cowed her was a black bear–all other animals smaller than that, including animals twice her size, were fair game for her howling, yowling temperament to be pointed at. But once she was done protecting the homestead, she’d come up to us and be the sweetest, most friendly little mackerel-tabby fluffball you could imagine.

Starting out as a tiny, scared little grey kitten, she grew into a real bruiser, much stronger than she looked, and her temperament meant she didn’t always get along with the other cats in the household (particularly when she was older and ill, and taking issue with the new kitten intruding on her territory). She was a horror for any mice who found their way into the house, and the only one of our cats who caught an actual bird (twice–in both cases the bird was startled, but otherwise unhurt). Her taste for food was Typical Cat, with a fondness for fish, but with two exceptions–she loved parmesan cheese, and enjoyed chomping on marshmallows.