Here's
Cinnamon. 
This is her most recent photo.
And this is Spice
And Spice's most recent photo.
To know how Cinnamon and Spice came into my life, you must first hear about Cleo . Somehow I got it into my head that I had to have an Abyssinian cat. I read up on cats and surfed the web. I wanted to be an educated cat owner. Since Abyssinians were described as dog-like and I had a dog, I thought there's a match.
Now, I never intended to own a dog either. As a child my family ran through some pets. I can vaguely remember a dog, a cat, a rabbit, and a bird, but none made much of an impression on me. I really didn't consider myself a pet person.
Then I met Bucky and that's Bucky's story .
S.A.B.R.E. was extremely upset as well at my bad experience with an Aby (see Cleo's Story for details) and promised to keep me in mind for another cat. At the time, the end of March 1996, I didn't want another cat. Some time in May, they contacted me about two Somali kittens (known now as the Red Family ). At first I was hesitant, and not sure I was ready. When the time came that they were ready for adoption, I flew to Chicago to pick them up. The whole trip took 6 hours, and cost less than a trip to the vet.
At first we thought we'd get only one, but Mark, my ever supportive husband, said, "Let's take both?" So, when I told them that I would be interested in taking both kittens, they were happy that the kittens would be together. And thank God we did, because I don't know how we would have kept one of them entertained! They are so sweet and affectionate. Mark would say when we first got them,"What did we ever do to deserve such sweet kittens?"
"Cleo," I'd remind him.
Cinnamon and Spice are, without a doubt ,the sweetest cats I have ever known. I have spoiled them, and they have trained me to cater to their every whim. Nevertheless, they are sweet and good-natured.
They talk to me but I'm not sure always sure what they are saying. I start with I'm hungry or pay attention to me or rub my belly and work from there. They are not lap cats although they have bestowed themselves upon our laps whenever they might feel like it.
Cinnamon is a little more intense than Spice, who is just plain laid back. They both adore Bucky and they allow him to sniff away, so they are okay in his book.
The first time Spice woke me up in the middle of the night meowing at me, I thought he was Lassie. I got up, "What is it, boy?" I asked, thinking he would be taking me to rescue his sister or something. Of course, he led me to the kitchen and I realized he just wanted food.
I have since realized that these cats really don't want me to sleep more than 5 hours at a stretch. I think they just get lonesome and want company, my company, not Mark's company. Sometimes they are happy with just a belly rub combined with some chin rubbing which I can perform with my eyes closed. Cinny kneads me relentlessly until I wake up.
They do love to be on top of things. They are usually on top of the printer when I'm at the computer. They have several cat trees which they use and climb. They like the top of china closets, the top of the refrigerator. Sometimes I see Spice eyeing a shelf on the wall, and I tell him, "Don't even think about it." They are great companions and go with me everywhere I go (in the house, that is).
We had mice in our old house and I got complacent after I got the cats, thinking, "With two cats, we'll never have mice now." Wrong! The mice took over the place. Spice even caught one once, played with it and let it go. "Well, they're not killers," I thought, and we went back to setting traps.
After we moved to the new house, Cinnamon didn't speak to me for several days. When I walked into a room, she would turn her head and walk out of the room. It was very deliberate and very noticeable. After a couple of days, she wanted some affection so I complied and begged for forgiveness. She bestowed her forgiveness upon me.
The move didn't seem to bother Spice for a minute. It took them a couple of weeks to start sleeping with us again (at least to my knowledge).
Here's
Cinnamon.
This is her most recent photo.
And this is Spice
And Spice's most recent photo.
To read about our typical day go to: Pet Perks
Bucky tries chinese herbs, hear all about it: Bucky's Chinese Herb Experience
How I got Cleo is a whole other story!! Cleo's Story
Read about ice cream Lessons Learned By the Scoop
Read about deep sea fishing in a Nor'Easter A Midsummer's Nightmare
Read about a fictional girl Lacey Santini
To read a story about an absent-minded woman who her lost keys.
Read about recovering from depression.
And read about The Invisible Diner
If you want to see more pictures of my pets,
just click