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Southern hospitality

Southern hospitality

kentucky-fried-cat1My brain almost exploded when attempting to come up with the title for this post. The number of ideas involving cats and Kentucky was higher than the national debt, so, ultimately, I just had to pick the one that tells the story.

And “Southern hospitality” is very much the shape of the story.

It seems our beautiful Eight Belles were just the start of our Southern cat streak, because the feline Kentucky women (and men) are here with all the warmth of a hot bowl of grits and the sweetness of pecan pie. (For the purposes of this post, that last word would be pronounced paaah.)

Paco!Most of our cats don’t show their sweetest side during the scary intake exam, a festival of poking and prodding. On top of that, having just endured a 13+ hour drive, these kitties could certainly be forgiven for not quite being snugglicious right out of the gate. But, as Ginny awed upon meeting the Kentucky eight, they were ”all sweeties” from moment one. 

The first to catch your eye may be big, bodacious buff Paco, he of the big round head and the “ate-a-few-too-many-tacos” body type. (No worries about that – we love our felines in all sizes here.) To call Paco “adorable” would almost be insulting, it’s so inadequate to describe his atomic cuteness. But cuter than his moon-face is Paco’s big personality. When it comes to snuggling, Paco is the proverbial all that and five bags of chips. I predict his time at Tabby’s Place will be short – painfully short for us, but gleeful for him as he finds a forever home stat.

But would-be adopters can’t be blamed if they’re overwhelmed by whether to adopt Paco or his equally-hospitable fellow Kentuckians. I think it’s fair to say that these are, quite simply, eight of the most amazing cats who have ever walked the earth.

SerjTake Paco’s roomie, Serj, who must have been waiting in line with Paco when “big round heads” and “ridiculously sweet personalities” were handed out. Will you love him? Then he’ll love you. Immediately. That’s just Serj’s way.

BugsyWhile we’re talking about ridiculousness, how about Bugsy’s sweet face? And, for once, you can go right ahead and judge this book by its cover, because Bugsy is one big mush of love. He’s especially hospitable when it comes to licking – whether he’s known you for five hours or five seconds, Bugsy wants to kiss you.Neena

I could never forget the amazing ladies who came north with these Southern gentlemen. In the tabby delegation, there’s teensy, sunshiny Neena and love-bunny Mystic. Although Mystic wasMystic mystified over how to get along with her roomies at first, she and the other girls have since come to share the love with one another.

Not that sharing the love with humans was ever a challenge for any of them…especially the aptly-named Halo, a calico of unusual splendor. Yet even if this beautiful girl was the homeliest cat east of the Mississippi (as if there could be a I can see her Halo, Halo, Halo-o-o...homely cat!), she’d be…dazzling. Halo barely stops talking long enough to take a breath, but I know I’m not the only one who’s happy to hear all that’s on her mind.

PenelopeIt may not quite be a halo, but otherwise all-white Penelope has a small marking on her head that looks like someone leaned down and kissed her with a light dusting of gray. This gentle girl clearly got the “love bunny” memo that went out to all of our Kentucky cats.

And that leaves tiny Ashes, the last of the octet and the cat who is wreaking the most havoc with my mind (and my two-cat limit). I could hold this little love-bug all day…and she would let me (or you, or whoever stops by to love on her). Technically, itty-bitty Ashes is a dilute tortoiseshell, but I’ve heard folks refer to her as “unusual,” “beautiful” and “almost purpley-lilac,” all of which do describe her as well.

Brains, beauty and megadoses of Southern hospitality – sigh! There’s no question in my mind that the Kentucky eight, like the rapidly-dwindling Eight Belles of West Virginia, won’t be here long. But while they are, to bask in their presence is more refreshing than a tall drink of sweet tea. 🙂Ashes!

PS: Credit for all of these photos, except the goofy final one of Ashes, goes to our amazing videographer, Laura, the Rutgers-bound genius behind MANY of the photos gracing our blog. Thank you, Laura!

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