Bob Acker's Cat Page
Cats were first introduced into our lives in March, 1988 when Sparkle adopted us. A year and a half later we adopted Leo, who was living in a campground in western Michigan. In January of 1992, we took in Fluff, who was hanging around a resort in northern Michigan, near Manistee, where we had gone on a ski trip. That made two Michigan cats in our household! Sadly, Leo disappeared after we moved to a new house that June. He always insisted on being an outdoor cat. In the process of searching for him, I saw a lot of lost or abandoned cats at animal shelters. We learned our lesson, and now let our cats out only on leashes or supervised closely. The following January we visited our local cat shelter and adopted Toby, whose purrsonality had an uncanny resemblance to Leo's: very affectionate, loved to be held, and loved to be outdoors. One of the saddest days of our lives occurred on October 15, 1999 when Sparkle crossed to the Rainbow Bridge. In March, 2000 we adopted Katrine, a 4-month-old rescue who was born in a garage in Chicago. It was quite amusing to have such a bundle of energy around the house! She settled down as she got older. More sadness occurred when we had to say goodbye to Fluff August 13, 2004. It seemed odd to suddenly have only two cats in the household; it was Fluff who taught us that 3 cats was a good number! But in mid February, 2005 we were back to three when we adopted Merlin, a four-month old kitten; he has brownish gray stripes with the classic tabby 'M' on his forehead. He had been adopted from a nearby shelter, but the person who adopted him had to give him up. Once again we had a highly energetic kitten who loves to play! Fully grown now, Merlin still exhibits some kittenish qualities, and seems to have adopted some of Toby's habits, including his fondness for the outdoors. We lost Toby on May 29, 2007. When we moved to a new house with more rooms and adjacent to a large, natural pond in the fall of 2007, Merlin thought the move one big adventure and adjusted immediately. Katrine took longer to adjust, but she became very happy in the new house and enjoyed going outside in warm weather too. On November 8, 2009 we adopted Calvin and Clover, two of five ktten siblings that a friend of ours was fostering. Calvin, as an orange and mischievous kitten, named himself, after the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Clover, as the smallest of the litter, turned out to be a beautiful tortie: black and gold, with a tan crescent moon on her chest and a silver tail tip. Katrine succumbed to cancer on January 4, 2016 at the age of 16.
Other Cat Links
Some Family Memories and Photos...
To read more about our cats and view some of their photos, see their individual pages:
Our Rainbow Bridge Cats Sparkle Leo Fluff Toby Katrine
Our Current Cat Companions Merlin Calvin and Clover -- Pictures of them as kittens can be viewed on their flickr page Flickr Kittens photo site. You can see more pictures of Sparkle, Fluff, Katrine, Toby, Merlin, Calvin, and Clover at our Flickr photo site.
Links to other Cat sitesAfter the experience of searching for Leo, including visiting the DuPage County Animal Control shelter weekly for several months, I have become aware of the sad fact that many lost and abandoned cats and dogs are euthanized every year. PLEASE SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR PET!!! And support your local shelter! Also become an informed and responsible owner. Below are some links to sites dealing with cat care, rescue, grief, and pictures.
"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often broached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan..."
Irving Townsend, "The Once Again Prince," from Separate LifetimesAbout.com Cats
Illinois Shelters
Petfinder
Lists of shelters and rescue organizations across the country and world
Cornell Feline Health Center
Veterinary Information for Cat Owners
Feral Cat Coalition (San Diego)
Provides some good arguments and guidelines for dealing with feral cat populations
Cats section of Yahoo
The Pet Loss Grief Support Website & Candle Ceremony (Petloss.com)
Cat Health, Illness, and Well Being Topic Library
Feline-l Home Page A wonderful community of caring catlovers, with links
Feline Diabetes
Pets with Diabetes
The above two sites give invaluable information on diabetes and its treatment.
Email me at racker@depaul.edu
Bob Acker's Home Page
© 1999 Robert Acker.