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Picasso in Hong Kong
(The early years)
Picasso is a lady cat. So named because, upon seeing her, my wife declared her a work of art. Rightfully so, wouldn't you agree?
We rescued this little angel from the Hong Kong SPCA. New home, new wife, new life, new daughter.
Picasso's previous owners put her in a donation box, with a few minor health problems.
When the SPCA accepted her, they thought she was four months old. When I adopted her, the vet looked at her teeth and determined that she was actually seven months old, but she was so small due to underfeeding.
She had ear mites. Her head was balding from stress. Her tail was bent, as you can see in the second photo. But I didn't care. She was and is sweet, loving, brilliant, and simply gorgeous. When we moved to Hangzhou, China, we brought her with us.
I originally went to the SPCA to get a cat for my wife. What I didn't know was, Picasso decided she needed a daddy. She loves Jan too, but she's definitely my little girl.
People think they select their pets, but pets think they select their people. In this case, Picasso is correct. She chose me.
The photos are roughly chronological, so you can watch her grow into a healthy, happy, confident, lovely lady cat.
How lovely? As if seeing her isn't answer enough, she was featured in the SPCA's 2002 A-Cat-A-Day Calendar. July 24, September 5, September 6. Her photos have also been featured in several electronic magazines, and the story of her trip to Hangzhou (with photos) will appear in the Hong Kong SPCA's newsletter. My daughter, the model.
But she's not just another pretty face. She's also an engineer. She specializes in opening cupboards and drawers. One time to figure it out, then she remembers what works and does it that way forever after.
She's also fascinated by plumbing. Dripping faucets. Climbing into the bathtub. Me repairing a toilet. Just water in general, really.
Printers are excellent. She can open the lid and watch the ink cartridges move to the middle. Then she drops the lid, and they go back. One day she'll figure out how to catch those things.
She's also invented a new sport. Olympic floor-swimming. China's going for the gold this time.
By the way she acted as a new arrival, we determined two things. She was never allowed on the bed at her other home, and probably the lady of the house didn't like her very much.
I don't know why her previous owners couldn't keep her. But since they couldn't, they did the right thing by giving her to the SPCA instead of abandoning her or worse.
And yes, there are photos of her on the bed. It's one of her favorite places. Preferably when I'm there, so she can curl up on my chest and purr.
It's really hard not to rave on about her. She greets me at the door when I come home. Every time. And howls her displeasure a bit whenever I leave.
As a younger lady, she was obsessed with taking tissues from the box. Maybe she was counting them. She doesn't do that anymore, but that's probably because we put them in a cupboard.
Behind the tissue box, you'll note a mirror. Picasso loves to stare at herself in it. Most cats hate mirrors, but Picasso will walk to the closed bathroom door and say "Meow" when she wants us to open the door. So she can look in the mirror.
She also stares at herself on the computer screen saver. She also knows that typing or clicking the mouse makes many interesting things happen on the computer.
I know I've written a lot about her, and I could easily write much more. But probably by the time you read all this, the photos will have finished loading. So I'll shut up and let you look at them.
If you'll pass your mouse over the photos, the captions will tell you something about them.
Enjoy!
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