The Cats of Clos du Bois

Design - "Love My Cat" Snippet

Designer - Lizzie Kate

Fabric - 28 count Wichelt Lambswool linen

Floss - WDW & GAST & DMC

Started - 15 June 2001

Completed - 1 July 2001

Several people (including Ann @ Beadlework!) have asked about the cats who show up regularly on my blog...

So why, you might wonder am I posting a photo of a dog?  This guy, Black Dog, showed up out of the blue about 8:30am Friday morning.  After calling several neighbors (to no avail), I decided to post a FOUND DOG (no tags) on Craig's List.  Within 30 minutes the owner had called me...

But while we all waited for the owner to arrive, Black Dog provided much interest to the denizens of this house...some of whom were braver than others!

At Clos du Bois, our current Cat Story begins in April of 2001...

A small apricot feral cat, we first named Leo, and upon further examination, then renamed Cleo, showed up at our house...and stayed... 

...and on May 30, 2001 gave birth to five kittens (on the floor in my closet!)

The kittens grew apace!

And not long after their birth, this handsome fellow showed up - looking remarkably like some of the kittens! Tom-Cat!

We kept all five kittens until they were weaned, and after they'd had their first shots, two of the kittens were adopted out.  Cleo, Tom-Cat, and the remaining three kittens all had vet visits which included vaccinations, and spaying and neutering, and flea medication! 

Cleo at head, Parvati in middle, Solomon on bottom left, Padma on bottom right

The kittens grew and grew and grew - until they far out weighed their mother.  But Cleo remained Queen of the Cattery.

The kittens (with the advise from our vet) were raised as "Indoor Cats" so as to prolong their health and life-spans.  Cleo and Tom-Cat, both originally feral, stayed on as "Indoor/Outdoor" Cats.

Parvati Patel, one of the kittens, should be a 100% indoor cat, but upon further review (she has an extremely loud, Siamese-style voice!), she is allowed outside with supervision!  

Sadly, we lost our Cleo-Cat one night early last August (I blogged about it here).  She demanded to spend the night outside (not unusual), but did not appear for breakfast the next morning.  After several weeks of fruitless searching which included calls, door-to-door, posters, and the like, we had to think that she'd met her match with another nocturnal predator of some sort. 

So we still have Tom-Cat (Daddy-Cat), and his twins:

Padma and Parvati

...Padma and Parvati Patel.  They are named for a set of twins in the Harry Potter series.  Padma is our Big Boy (20 lbs or more).  He is a sweetheart, totally purrlicious, looks most like his mother, and has a small high voice. He is an Indoor Cat, and happy to be so as he finds the outdoors to be a bit overwhelming.

And we have Solomon, our Handsome Boy - a truly lovely Red Tiger.  He too is an Indoor Cat, though he is willing to dash out and explore if a door is not closed properly...and seems to be a be jealous of his sister's Outdoor Adventures.        

Parvati and Tom on the look-out

And that is the story of The Cats of Clos du Bois!