Alpha is my oldest cat, my first pet ever, my sidekick and constant companion. I got him as a 12-week old kitten in 2007 and he’s been the most constant thing in my life since then. (My parents took care of him during the times I was away for work for long periods, and he loves them too!)

He is very social. He will greet visitors to the house, and likes getting head pats from everyone. He is almost always in the same room as I am. If he is sleeping but I get up and go somewhere else in the house, he will usually follow within a few minutes, if not right away.

The expression “curiosity killed the cat” is Alpha personified. (Except for the killing part!) He is the most curious and nosy creature.

He sleeps on my bed beside me for most of the night.

He tends to overeat, so I have to feed him and Omega a specific measured amount of food in order for him to not gain weight.

Alpha is mean to Omega sometimes. It took them months to get to the point where they are now. They aren’t friends, but they tolerate each other for the most part. They take turns lying beside me on my bed. Sometimes Alpha chases Omega all around the house, but Omega will hiss when he’s had enough and Alpha will back off.

Alpha HATES the vet. He becomes a completely different animal – a snarling fur-ball of “don’t come near me or you’re dead”. It makes giving him his yearly shots very difficult. The vets will either knock him out, or get me to drug him ahead of time so he’s sleepy — though the last time his adrenaline won over the drugs and he was still a handful, apparently (I wasn’t allowed to go in with him that time) but they got it done.

Categories: cats

This is my baby kitty Omega. (He’s not actually a baby, but he’s just over half the size of Alpha and very skittish, so I’m over-protective of him.)

I got him in November 2016, when he was estimated to be 2 years old. He was a street cat living in a feral cat colony, but when captured by a group who spays/neuters the feral cats to keep the population under control, they figured out Omega wasn’t actually feral. He was shy but clearly had been around humans before. So they turned him over to the SPCA and that’s where I adopted him.

I wasn’t particularly looking for a new cat. My marriage had recently ended and I was living by myself for the first time in 8 years.

Omega is very skittish and jumpy, even with me. If anyone else if in my house, he will hide. He will run out of the room if I move too quickly, or sneeze. It took him months to be able to approach my roommate for pets. But he can show bravery and dominance when he needs to. He’s very fast, agile, and silent. His favourite place to sleep is on the high shelf in my closet, because Alpha can’t jump up there.

Categories: cats