More About Leo.....

Leo's Wonderful Quirks:

The Sleepy Eye: Leo would always wake up with just one eye open.....it seemed as if the other one needed to work gradually into the day and would take it's own sweet time opening up. So, he would wander about with one eye open and one eye closed, and every single day....it made me smile.

Bathtub Bowling: This little game was more often than not...played in the wee hours of the night when I was trying to sleep, not to mention the neighbors. For reasons unknown, Leo would decide to take a few of his toys into the bathtub to play with them. Perhaps it was the confined space, perhaps it was the slick surface (great for flippy toy action), or perhaps it was just a way to get me out of bed...in any case, he would make one hell of a racket bouncing around in the tub....and no matter what time of the day, it would always make me laugh.

Rubberbands: Leo had an endless appetite for rubberbands.....I actually had to establish a strict "No Rubberbands Allowed" policy to prevent his consumption of them.

The Food Flick: Turning anything and everything into a toy was one of Leo's trademark....including his food. He would paw it out of the bowl and then proceed to spend hours batting it about the kitchen floor....usually knocking over the water dish in the process.

Fun with Foliage: Leo...my little nature lover.....always bringing the outside inside to share. He had a particular fondness for sticks, but would also bring in dirt clods, leaves, dead weeds....and proceed to chase them around the house until they crumbled away.

The Vacuum Serpent: I am convinced that all cats are born with an instinctive knowledge of can openers and natural fear of vacuum cleaners....however, Leo is the first I have seen to believe that the vacuum cleaner cord is a snake. When faced with the cord, he would cautiously approach, smack at it, and scare himself half to death...all the while keeping a close eye on the "head" (plug) expecting it to strike back..... this behavior was also seen when confronted with playstation controllers and the occassional extension cord.

Cereal Killer: Having a bowl of cereal with Leo around was quite the undertaking as he would relentlessly stick his little face in it....(or paw, or tail...sometimes all four feet) To prevent him from contaminating your breakfast, you had to keep a steady flow of cereal tossed in his direction for him to chase and eat. Cheerios was, by far, his favorite but he would give anything a try.....with the exception of raisin bran as the flakes were difficult to bat around the kitchen.

Leo and his Feather

Leo and His Feather

Leo......

Leo....
The keeper of the toys....
This little guy is endlessly amusing...he is always up to something, always on the look out for new and unusual ways to crack me up. His self-appointed role as "Keeper of the Toys" occupies much of his time, but that hasn't stopped him from developing other "skills" to add to his quirky arsenal. I suspect that he must have been a dog in a previous life, as playing "catch" has quickly become his favorite pastime. He has his own little quirk to the game.....he will only play with his "flippy" toys....but other than that, he is a regular retriever. He even stands at my feet and prances around in anticipation of the toss.....an activity which the other cats find rather perplexing. Other memorable "tricks" little Leo has come up with:

Invert-a-Kitty: this is when Leo runs upside down on the underside of the couch....back and forth, back and forth at a hundred kitty miles an hour...pausing only to ensure that his efforts are not going undetected...and to confirm my admiration of his cuteness.

The Window Wag: one of my personal favorites....this is when Leo fights his way through the blinds (usually in the kitchen) and manages to secure a good window gazing spot on the windowsill. To avoid having to fight his way back out of the blinds, he leaves his back-end safely on the counter, allowing just the front half to be engulfed by the blinds......Happy at what he sees outside, he slowly wags his tail back and forth....and that is what those on the inside of the window have the pleasure of looking at.....this headless, furry little butt with a swooshy tail sticking out of the blinds.

The Bubble Blow: Anyone chewing gum and blowing bubbles in the company of Leo is subject to having him sit on his/her lap and study how the formation of the bubbles is achieved. This particular human phenomenon is of great interest to Leo, and it is not uncommon for him to enter a trance like state and fall from his seat when confronted by an emerging bubble. His desire to master the art of bubble-making is evidenced by the way he slowly opens his little mouth...wider and wider.....as the bubble gets bigger and bigger....and bigger.....

Toothbrush Envy: Leo is obsessed with the idea that life as a toothbrush is a much more enviable existence than that of a quirky little cat. Evidence to support this theory can be seen in the way he insists upon getting into the medicine cabinet whenever he even so much as thinks he hears the bathroom light turn on. The fact that he is much too big to even remotely begin to fit in the medicine cabinet does not deter him in any way....it just seems to make all the more determined.

Could Ya Give Me A Lift??: For the most part, this is a summer-time game, the duration of which depends entirely upon the number "mosquito eaters" that manage to navigate their way through an open door or window and become trapped in the house. Once spotted by Leo, they become the hunted.....and the game begins. As a novice player, Leo would attempt to reach his prey by climbing upon the furniture, kitchen counters, even going so far as to use pictures hanging on the walls as stepping stones....none of which led to success. He then did what any other frustrated cat would do when something is beyond reach....scream at it. Having sympathy for the detemined little fellow, I took it upon myself to assist him in his quest and gave him a lift up to where the bugs were flitting about. Using my wrists and forearms to brace himself, he would leap at the bugs and snatch them with his front paws.....while I tried desperately not to drop with him. It didn't take long for him to become a pro at this....he was soon able to balance on my hand and catch the bugs as I held him up in the air.....quite the humorous sight. I, on the other hand....was not quite as quick a study and suffered many, many a gash and received a number of rather peculiar looking scars before learning to wrap a towel around my arm before assisting Leo in his hunting...

My Sweet Leo

Little Leo

Please Stand and State Your Name.....

Greetings and salutations....
I was, once upon a time ago....a relatively normal person, leading a relatively normal life when one day I had this compelling urge to get a cat...well actually, a kitten to be exact. So into my life came Elliot (cutest kitten in the world) and we have lived with one another in a peaceful (for the most part) coexistence for the past 12 years. Not that is has all been a bed of roses.....he is afterall, the strangest cat you could ever meet...with his endless demands to be "spanked" ...his habit of removing all of the pots and pans from the kitchen cabinets when he's pissed at you....his talent for opening (but never closing mind you) any doors and/or windows he deems necessary....his slamming of the cabinet doors when he requires your attention...traits that some find cute, that would be those who don't have to put up with them on a daily basis. So we were pretty set in our ways when I decided to get myself another little furrball...a little cutie pie that would make me laugh and keep me company as I recovered from a work injury that would result in two surgeries.....a feline antidepressant if you will.....

Enter "Lucie"

My wacky sense of humor insisted upon the name "Lucie" for my new little addition....as Elliot had always been referred to by his nickname "Ezzie".....Lucie and Ezzie get it?? not many people do.
Anyhow, so little Lucie became part of the family and she was just what the doctor ordered....a cute, fuzzy, razor-clawed ball of fluff...with a grey chin. Loved the grey chin.

So, didn't take too long to come to the conclusion that Ezzie was just too darn old to deal with a kitten.....he spent the first few months hissing at her every chance he got....but eventually, he softened up and they became buddies. The three of us lived in relative peace and tranquility until April 23, 2004.....

I had just returned from having surgery on my stupid shoulder, was wacked out on pain killers, not too mention tethered to an ice machine.....when Lucie climbed up on the couch next to me and proceeded to give birth to a litter of kittens. Not exactly the welcome home party I has anticipated.
There were four little ones born that day....Squishy, Raja, Monkey, and Leo.....all boys if you can believe that.
So now we were a family of six.

My luck being what it is, not a week had passed when Lucie stopped nursing the itties bitties. She was obviously in pain and looking very much under the weather so I took her to the emergency vet that night.
500 dollars and two days later, she came home.....diagnosed with severe mastitis and with strict instructions NOT to nurse the babies. So I became the one-armed nanny to four very time-consuming little terds. They had to be bottle fed every two hours, "pottied" (loads of fun), and cleaned.....all with my one good arm and all while trying to keep them away from Lucie. An easy task??? I beg to differ.

But oh how I fell in love with these little guys. They were my babies.....letting them go to new homes was a heart wrenching thought but I knew that keeping all of them was out of the question. So I compromised and kept two....Monkey and Leo.
Monkey and Leo.....my precious boys. Having hand-raised them, I had an incredibly strong bond with them both....a very powerful and deep love. They were, of course...spoiled completely rotten.....and beyond adored. Leo (my baby) was the runt of the litter.....a teeny little guy with a heart of gold. From day one, he was constantly playing....exploring the world without fear. Though he was considerably smaller than his brothers, he was the brave one....constantly on the go, looking for stuff to do. His big brothers would push him around now and again, and to get back at them....he took it upon himself to deprive them of any toys. He would take all of the toys and hide them....under the couch, in the corner, in bags, boxes, purses.....wherever his not-too-observant brothers could not find them. Very possessive about the toys, Leo was.....especially his feather...noone touched the feather.