LOS GATOS NEGROS

Yes our cats have middle names. 
Well why not? Simon Nigel actually 
got his name because I couldn't 
decide wether I wanted to name 
him Simon cause it seemed like 
that was his name anyway OR Nigel 
cause I am obsessed with the 
band XTC. 

So  Simon Nigel it is. 

Simon was fated to live with me. 
My friend Jena asked me if I wanted a
cat for my birthday. Well seeing as
how I was living somewhere where I 
could have my own cat I didn't 
say no. I also didn't say yes. 
I told Jena I didn't know what 
I wanted and I told Sean 
(who I wasn't living with yet) 
that I was going to leave it 
up to chance. 

Sometimes indecision can be a good 
thing cause for my birthday Jena 
brought me Simon.



Simon is pretty much indifferent 
to everything. His favorite hobbies 
are; sitting around, sleeping, 
watching stuff happen and not moving. 
He does play "midnight tear-ass" with 
Pugsley, which I am glad for because 
otherwise he'd get no excercise 
at all. 

He is a smart cat, he knows how to 
play fetch but chooses not to. 
He likes to eat toy mice too.

Pugsley has a middle name, 
damn if I can remember it though. 

Puglsey rocks socks. The story 
of how we came to know him is a 
sappy one full of ohhs and ahhs.

Sean and I were on our way to 
the coffeeshop when something in 
the planter caught my eye. 
I shouted "I think there's a kitten 
in the bushes!" and jumped out of 
the car. Sure enough, there was 
this TINY little black kitten 
bounding about. When I went up to 
the planter the cat was all over me, 
purring and nuzzling. 

The neighbors kids were outside 
their apt so I asked them if it was 
their cat. The mom said, "No. That 
cat's been there for days, my kids 
keep bugging me to keep it but I don't 
want a cat." 



Even so, I couldn't leave the cat out 
in the cold. Although we live in 
southern California, winter was 
appraoching and it was pretty darn 
cold out.
(lame excuse for keeping the cat #1) 

We decided that if the cat was still 
there when we got back from coffee 
we'd figure out what to do then. 
I was kinda hoping it would get 
cold and go back home to wherever 
he lived. 

I then walked back to the car and 
Sean went around to his side. T
he look of his face would've broke 
nyone's heart cause when I looked 
down there was Pugsley sitting 
ON his foot, looking up at him. 

"That's it," I said. 
"We're bringing him in."



The next few days involved putting 
up 'found cat' flyers all over 
my neighborhood (no one called) 
and then feverishly looking for a 
place to adopt him. As it stands, 
in Orange County you have two options 
for your found kitty; you take him 
to the pound, and they take him, 
no questions asked. They will also 
euthanize him if a home cannot be 
found. OR you get the cat neutered 
and vaccinated and THEN you can put 
him up for adoption. 
(lame excuse for keeping the cat #2)

We brought the cat down to our 
friendly neighborhood low-cost vet. 
The VA's cooed and cuddled Pugster. 
(who was actually named Garfunkel 
at the time as a joke cause we had 
no intention of keeping him) The 
VA gave him a checkup and told us 
he was too small to give him all 
his vaccinations so we'd have to 
come back in three weeks! He weighed 
less than a pound when we found him, 
the vet figured he was about 6 weeks 
old. Looks like we were cat sitting 
longer than we thought we would. 

It doesn't take long for these guys 
to have an effect on you.