Cats are People Too

hursday, June 22. 2006
Cats are People Too
 
In April 2006 we lost Bart, our 15 year old Somali to cancer. This was pretty tough for both us and for me, it was the first time since I was about 10 years old that I didn't have a cat in the house. We decided that we would get two kittens this time around, and preferably from the same litter. I couldn't bear the thought that we'd have two bickering cats for 15 years! Naturally, things didn't turn out exactly as we planned. I've got a collection of 4 videos to share so please download them on the next page and enjoy! (remember to "right click" and "save as")
 

Download here: Bart's Video

We got Bartholomew Simpson from a local breeder in Kona. He was a pure Somali, which for those that don't know, are a long haired cousin of the Abyssinian. Abys (as they are called) were possibly one of the earliest domestic cat breeds. These are the cats you see in the Egyptian paintings and were so revered that many were mummified with their Pharoes! The video footage is from Bart's last 6 months or so.
 

Download here: Chloe's Video
We were searching for another Ruddy (Bart's color) Somali because we loved the breed but found that Bart's breeder was no longer breeding cats. We were looking for two kittens this time, hopefully, a pair from the same litter. We located the lone Somali breeder on Oahu, and on April 30th we came home with Chloe.
Now, Chloe is a dear kitten, but she's not Ruddy colored and she's not two cats! These were the things I was looking for! Chloe is a Red Somali and the one greeting you on the front page. The video shows her first month with us prior to Jacks arrival and as you can see, she's quite a handful!
 

Download here: Kitty Boxing
Hawaii is rabies free. This is important to know because if a kitten comes from the US mainland, he/she will have to be quarantined for so long that the new owner would miss out on much of the "kittenhood" More importantly, the kitten misses out on the bonding and handling that is so important in their development.
I started searching Australian catteries for Chloe's companion immediately because I didn't want her to be too established in our home and possibly not accept a newcomer. Since Australia is also rabies free, there is no quarantine and pets are released immediately upon arrival. We found Jack at Shilabo Somali Cattery in Victoria and he arrived on May 30th after a 20 hour trip.
In order to ease the transition for both kittens, we kept Jack in a separate room for a few days and let them smell eachother but not see or touch. After three days, we allowed them to interact, "Kitty Boxing" followed (each "round" is a day)!
 

Download here: "24" Cats Video
We're huge fans of "24" and the two of the main characters are the namesakes for our new kittens. If your cats are waking you up in the morning, this may be the reason! Don't get mad at them, remember, millions of lives are at stake!
Production notes:
I shot most of the video in one morning by myself. When Fran came home, we worked on a few more shots that needed two of us. The editing took most of the following day to get it just right although the titles went in at the last moment. I wouldn't mind cutting it tighter to keep it moving faster, but I wanted to make sure everyone had time to read the sub titles.