My Two Manx Cats Squishy and Lucy

By Nathan

With a site named “pictures-of-cats” it seems only “proper” to post a picture of my two cats…sorry that it comes with a little auto-biography… Both are Manx rescues. Lucy is a 5 y/o white/black male and with a severe aversion to most anyone…even myself. My wife is the only one that can get close to him. We “adopted” him when he was one year old, or so we were told, actual age unknown.

He came from what we believe/know was a very bad cat mill. Even when Lucy shredded my arm the first time I tried to hold him, my wife and I decided that we had an obligation to take him out of that place, even if he NEVER comes around to me. It has been several years now, and he still thinks I am chasing him around the house when I walk from room to room and he gets scared. Progress is slow to say the least…but its better than the alternative.

Second is Squishy, another Manx rescue that we got when he was just weeks old from a different “breeder” with equally unacceptable conditions. He was being kept in an abandoned trailer with a full grown Rottweiler, they got along just fine, but obviously the cat was separated way too early from his mother.

When we got him he had worms, ear mites, and was severely undernourished: we did not expect to survive. Well, ten years later that little “Squishy” kitty is around 20lbs of “mostly muscle” and up until recently as healthy as can be. He is on the upswing from some constipation that had us worried about kidney failure. Still monitoring food and water intake.

Not pictured is “Stinkerbelle”, originally “Tinkerbelle”, but even she seemed to like her new name more….:). She was an “abused” breeding Siamese that we adopted after she was purchased by an unwitting breeder who had bought her not knowing the health issues that would prevent her from safely have more litters, so we got her as a pet instead.

Unfortunately, she finally succumb to complications from kidney failure after MUCH work on my part as I was in school at the time and home a lot. From “hydration” injections to pills, we did it all, and we did get another year out of her short life, about 6 years…she didn’t seem to mind the injections, but they were pretty tough on us…my wife couldn’t do it, so I did. She in fact became VERY close to me as I nursed her back from the brink. It still saddens me to know that the “industry” was responsible.

We also had “Caliope” who was my wife’s cat that ate the contaminated cat food that came out several years ago and eventually paid the ultimate price due to both the poisoning and incompetent veterinarians. I have had many more cats throughout my life. I was born into a family with two Siamese and a Burmese, many, many, MANY, years ago…My mother bred one litter of Tonkinese, before making the original three all pets. She sold all the Tonks, much to my dismay(though I had yet to be born…lol), and four cats probably would of been a bit too much with ME on the way too….lol.

We also have a canine rescue, that I must mention simply because of the absurdity of his parentage. “Early” is a Gerhuahua….yep German Shepard and Chihuahua, at least that what we are told…we thought we were getting a miniature GS, but got a giant Chihuahua instead…lol…still love him to death. He is doing fine now, but out of his whole litter(11) only two others also survived. Anyway, enough about dogs…:)…this isnt “pictures-of-dogs”….;).

So here is Squishy and Lucy both are “stumpies”…I do not believe either to be pure bred, but that doesn’t really matter to me. Yes both are full grown, just very different sizes. Squishy definitely exhibits “canine” qualities common with Manx. and follows me around the house most of the time, always interested in what I am doing(or waiting for a treat…;)). Typical American “couch potato” cats I suppose….:), but they undoubtedly an intricate part of our “family”…. for the record…I have never had a cat declawed, and never will: additionally all of my cats are indoor only, for many reasons, but mainly safety.

Nathan