Meet Hester!
Name: Hester
Breed: Himalayan
Likes: Playing with his Chinese yo-yo, sneaking into empty grocery bags, jumping onto my shoulder for a panorama view of the room, and curling up in the bathroom sink to watch me get ready in the morning.
Dislikes: Loud noises like trucks driving by or my alarm clock, being outside (tall grass is scary stuff!), or anyone who doesn’t want to play.
About Hester: Hester came home with me just a few months after I moved to D.C. from New York City, where I lived on Hester Street in Little Italy. I had no idea what I was in for when I picked out the adorable runt of the litter who was playfully pawing at my shoes. The family told me Hester was a girl, so I was happy to give her the name of my favorite old street. Look how innocent little Hester was! Six months later, it was time to have Hester spayed, but to everyone’s surprise, the kitty was not a girl. Although Hester has grown to be a beautiful young cat, it seems that in some ways he is still the runt… Still, the vet assures me that Hester is perfectly healthy. Not sure if I should find a new name for this surprising boy, I did some research about Hester Street, which was once the main market street of the Jewish Quarter in Manhattan. I learned that hester, in Hebrew, is a masculine adjective meaning “hidden,” or “concealed.” His feisty attitude, never allowing a moment without play or attention, must have been trying all along to tell me that he had a little (cough, cough) secret for me!