- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 1,874
The last few years have been rough when it comes to my pets. One of my cats, Rocky, died prematurely. My 15-year-old black lab mix, Brandy (the best dog ever!) died, and just two months ago my "baby" kitty, Lucy, died of kidney failure at ripe old age of two. My wife and I were there when each of them was put to sleep, and each one seemed harder to take than the last. 
We haven't gotten another dog, but between watching my neighbor's Yorkie and my in-laws' two malteses, we always seem to have one roaming the house. We still have two cats. Flower is an 11-year-old female who's scared of everybody, and just refuses to play with any other animals. Oliver is a three-year-old black monster who is definitely the king of the house. He weights about 16 pounds, is jet black, and acts like a miniature lion. Lucy was a 6-pound (soaking wet) redhead who was the runt of the litter. She was the sweetest and most outgoing of the bunch, always wanting to be close to me or Debbie. She even slept on one of us every night. She greeted me at the door every day after work. When I sat down at my desk, she always “insisted” that I recline the chair so she could lie down on my chest to give me the opportunity to pet her.
Oliver and Lucy were best friends. They always chased each other, wrestled, and pounced on each other at every opportunity. They also got along with all of the little nieces and nephews that come over, as well as the dogs.
Now with Lucy gone, Oliver has been starved for attention. We wanted to get him another playmate, so I started doing some online research about various cat breeds. We wanted a small, curious, mischievous, athletic cat that won’t be afraid to explore the higher areas in the house (and get into a little bit of trouble.) We also wanted a cat that wouldn’t run and hide every time the doorbell rang, and one that would be a playmate for Oliver and the dogs.
One breed kept popping up – the Singapura. As the name implies, they originated in Singapore. They fit the bill perfectly, so I looked for a breeder in the area. It turns out that the Sings are pretty rare – especially in the US. They are also expensive. I finally found a breeder about two hours away and arranged a visit to her farm. We fell in love with the cats. They run to the door when you enter, and if you pat your chest and call to them, they will jump right into your arms from the floor. They play fetch with any of their toys – in fact, you will tire out long before they will. And they are people cats to the max. If you sit down, they will be all over you in seconds. They want to be wherever you are and be in the middle of whatever you happen to be doing. They get along with other animals and have never met a stranger. They also have a beautiful coat. It’s short and grey/beige/white in coloring. In fact their coat looks a lot like a deer’s coat, only grey.
The breeder had two kittens available Thanksgiving week, but we didn’t have the money to purchase one. They cost about as much as two average custom tactical knives.
Yikes! That’s when my mom offered to buy one for my Christmas present. Mind you, she’s never spent that much on me before, but home sales have been strong for her this year (she’s a Realtor) and she insisted on it. Well, I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth… 
We drove up to Siler City, NC on Wednesday to pick “Wilbur” up. He rode inside my wife’s fleece jacket all the way back to Charlotte. He’s made himself at home, and is getting along great with the other cats and the neighbor’s Yorkie. When he’s not flying around the house playing, he’s with one of us at all times. (He’s sitting on my mouse pad as I type this.) He even sleeps under the covers with us. Debbie woke up the other morning and he had crawled up into her sweatshirt and was sleeping against her back. This morning he was sleeping on her neck, right under her chin. During the day he will find a blanket, jacket, or pillow to crawl under or into to take a nap – preferably one that’s in your lap. He’ll jump onto your shoulders to get a better view of what’s going on in the world. If you’re not a die-hard cat person, the Sing in NOT for you.
Here are some pics of my newest baby at 12 weeks old. The pics are somewhat misleading as he looks bigger than the (maybe) two pounds that he weighs. His little head is only a bit larger than a golf ball. He will get to 6-7 lbs, while adult females weigh only 5-6 lbs. They are the world’s smallest domestic cat breed.
We haven't gotten another dog, but between watching my neighbor's Yorkie and my in-laws' two malteses, we always seem to have one roaming the house. We still have two cats. Flower is an 11-year-old female who's scared of everybody, and just refuses to play with any other animals. Oliver is a three-year-old black monster who is definitely the king of the house. He weights about 16 pounds, is jet black, and acts like a miniature lion. Lucy was a 6-pound (soaking wet) redhead who was the runt of the litter. She was the sweetest and most outgoing of the bunch, always wanting to be close to me or Debbie. She even slept on one of us every night. She greeted me at the door every day after work. When I sat down at my desk, she always “insisted” that I recline the chair so she could lie down on my chest to give me the opportunity to pet her.
Oliver and Lucy were best friends. They always chased each other, wrestled, and pounced on each other at every opportunity. They also got along with all of the little nieces and nephews that come over, as well as the dogs.
Now with Lucy gone, Oliver has been starved for attention. We wanted to get him another playmate, so I started doing some online research about various cat breeds. We wanted a small, curious, mischievous, athletic cat that won’t be afraid to explore the higher areas in the house (and get into a little bit of trouble.) We also wanted a cat that wouldn’t run and hide every time the doorbell rang, and one that would be a playmate for Oliver and the dogs.
One breed kept popping up – the Singapura. As the name implies, they originated in Singapore. They fit the bill perfectly, so I looked for a breeder in the area. It turns out that the Sings are pretty rare – especially in the US. They are also expensive. I finally found a breeder about two hours away and arranged a visit to her farm. We fell in love with the cats. They run to the door when you enter, and if you pat your chest and call to them, they will jump right into your arms from the floor. They play fetch with any of their toys – in fact, you will tire out long before they will. And they are people cats to the max. If you sit down, they will be all over you in seconds. They want to be wherever you are and be in the middle of whatever you happen to be doing. They get along with other animals and have never met a stranger. They also have a beautiful coat. It’s short and grey/beige/white in coloring. In fact their coat looks a lot like a deer’s coat, only grey.
The breeder had two kittens available Thanksgiving week, but we didn’t have the money to purchase one. They cost about as much as two average custom tactical knives.
Yikes! That’s when my mom offered to buy one for my Christmas present. Mind you, she’s never spent that much on me before, but home sales have been strong for her this year (she’s a Realtor) and she insisted on it. Well, I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth… We drove up to Siler City, NC on Wednesday to pick “Wilbur” up. He rode inside my wife’s fleece jacket all the way back to Charlotte. He’s made himself at home, and is getting along great with the other cats and the neighbor’s Yorkie. When he’s not flying around the house playing, he’s with one of us at all times. (He’s sitting on my mouse pad as I type this.) He even sleeps under the covers with us. Debbie woke up the other morning and he had crawled up into her sweatshirt and was sleeping against her back. This morning he was sleeping on her neck, right under her chin. During the day he will find a blanket, jacket, or pillow to crawl under or into to take a nap – preferably one that’s in your lap. He’ll jump onto your shoulders to get a better view of what’s going on in the world. If you’re not a die-hard cat person, the Sing in NOT for you.
Here are some pics of my newest baby at 12 weeks old. The pics are somewhat misleading as he looks bigger than the (maybe) two pounds that he weighs. His little head is only a bit larger than a golf ball. He will get to 6-7 lbs, while adult females weigh only 5-6 lbs. They are the world’s smallest domestic cat breed.
