Name: Charlie
Breed: Orange Tabby
Likes: String! Food/Treats! Butter! Chasing his “shrimpy” and “rainbow snake”! Napping on top of, or attached in some way to his dad. Charlie also said to be sure to include Maru, his Sit A Pet sitter, on this list because she gives him lots of attention, and she lets him hug her!
Dislikes: When his brother Trevor gets attention. Being ignored when he demands someone play with him.
About Charlie: When his future mom Lou Ann, was looking to adopt a new kitty in the fall of 2019 to join the family as a brother for Trevor, a sweet, gentle & unassuming 5 year old Tuxedo kitty, she hoped to find a cat & human-friendly boy who doesn’t mind being picked up and held. Charlie, about 3 years old (then called Samson, a name that didn’t quite fit his lean physique and young countenance), seemed to meet those qualifications so it was decided he would fit into the family pretty well. Turns out, after quickly adapting to his new home, Charlie proved to have quite a commanding and not so laid back personality. Rather than simply not minding being picked up and held, he demands it! He follows his mom around in the morning, meowing and reaching up like a toddler so he can get onto her shoulder to hang out a bit, maybe sneaking in a nip to the ear or chin, then maneuvering his body around to be held like a baby. In addition, he calls the shots as to who deserves all the food & to eat first (Him!), who gets to play with the favorite toys (Him!), and who deserves the most attention (Him!). He’s even developed different voices to try and get what he wants. He learned to imitate Trevor (who has difficulty meowing loudly due to polyps on his vocal cords) by making very quiet half-meows when he wants to be picked up. When he wants someone to play with him he will raise his voice to a high pitched and insistent pleading, yet demanding tone, while dragging along his shrimpy, then his rainbow snake, to his chosen human play partner. Aside from being picked up by his mom, and demanding to be played with by whichever parent is within reach, Charlie loves to hang out with his dad, who calls him his “therapy cat”. By the way, now the name “Samson” would fit Charlie quite well since he’s become a big brawny guy, not least because he’s an expert at nudging his brother out of the way to eat his food.