It’s National Cat Day and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than to share our own feline furballs with all of you.

Jessica Grey’s Clowder:

“Before I get into this, I want to clarify that we never intended to have this many cats. We took in a sweet stray only to find out she was pregnant. We planned to adopt the kittens out and so we gave them nicknames in an effort to not get attached (…you can see how well that worked out). The nickname thing will be relevant later.

The only cat facing the camera in this photo is Zaylia. She’s the matriarch and is just about as sweet as can be, but she won’t put up with a whole lot of crap. Just in front of her is Nibbler. He’s an instigator. He is aggressively affectionate with people, but a total ass to his sisters. Separated from the others is Maldatian – so named for the black spots on her white coat and because my baby sister struggled with pronouncing “dalmatian” when she was a li’l one. Maldatian is kind of a weirdo, but she can be very sweet. The cat furthest from the camera is Shitty. Yep. Shitty. She had the misfortune to be born in the litter box. She alternates between sweet, skittish, and curmudgeonly. She is the cattiest cat who ever catted. Probably because her name is Shitty.”

Jordan Rosenfeld’s Muffin Menace:

“Pickles is our 2-year-old ginger cat, equal parts menace and sweetheart. Muffin thief (all carbs, really), dog-in-a-cat’s body, who can be found rummaging through the garbage and climbing on my shoulder when I’m trying to work. He was being adopted out at our local bookstore through a foster cat organization. My husband and I both saw him on the same day, at different times, and wished to fulfill our longtime desire for an orange tabby, because they’re known to be sweet. Little did we know what we were getting into! He joined our very quiet, shy Tuxedo cat Elvert. He came to us wracked with kennel cough, ringworm, a nasty habit of obsessively licking his privates, and stealing human food. We cured him of all but the latter. He drives us nuts, but we can’t remember life without him.”

Barbara & Alex Doyle’s Playful Pair:

“Mary (black cat) and Lincoln (tiger cat) came into our lives from our local SPCA. Mary was considered the “stunt cat” at the shelter—she was the one they would use to see if incoming animals with no histories were compatible with other cats. She got hissed and growled at a lot. She handled it with grace. Lincoln became ours on $5.00 adoption day, thus, his name. It suits him. He had far too much dignity to allow himself to be called “Muffin” for long. Lincoln and Mary both have secret lives. Most of the time, Mary is a somewhat dumb, purring little fluff ball with a desperate need for contact. Other times? She Hulks out, and is the best hunter I’ve ever seen. I’ve had to monitor her to keep her from being what we call a “birderer.” Lincoln is aloof, only wants attention on his terms and is very demanding. But sometimes? He craves physical affection such that he will take it even from me, and I am far from his favorite person. He will even wake us up at night such that we have to play the game we call “Food? Or Affectionate Pet?” As much hassle Lincoln and Mary can be (especially during litter box change time) we couldn’t imagine our family without them. We’re grateful they allowed us to adopt them.”

Courtni George’s Sassy Ladies:

“Gemma (black cat) came to me in Walmart. The lady had a box of them, roaming around the aisles. Lisa is Gemma’s daughter. Xavier named her and her brother Bart and Lisa. We no longer have Bart so now she just has a really weird human cat name. Lisa hunts and Gemma punks her for her food at least once a week because Gemma cannot be bothered with that much work. They are literally the biggest bitches.”

Salongo Wendland’s Loyal Boys:

“We have two cats, Kitty and Otto.

Kitty is a 13-yo purebred chocolate point Siamese who is wholeheartedly devoted to me. He comes when I whistle and sits on command, purrs like a motorboat, and follows me around doggedly. He’s a little cross-eyed and his vet bills have cost me more than I will admit on a public forum, but he’s my boy and I love him. Kitty is not really a fan of anyone else – including my son AND my son’s cat, Otto.

Otto is a 2-yo rescue that we got mostly because my son wanted a cat to sleep with him (Kitty will not). Otto came to us as an orphaned kitten who did not know that play biting shouldn’t break the skin and send your playmate howling away. Otto still bites me after a pet or two, but my son is exempt from injury. He has tamed down somewhat, but still terrorizes Kitty, the older (and more neurotic) cat, especially when Kitty is trying to use the litter box. No bueno. But he’s the perfect companion for my rough-and-tumble 8-yo son, who calls him his “brother” and cuddles with him every night.”

Shandle Blaha’s Big Boy:

“This is Ace, affectionately called Heffer because he is a big fat baby. My husband surprised me with him as a kitten around Christmas time about 10 years ago and loves to tell the story about how on the car ride home he attempted to jump out the window of the car and smashed his head into the glass. We think that may have contributed to his lack of movement now – either he is scared it will hurt like the glass window or he knocked something loose in his kitty brain. He loves attention and pets and is constantly purring, but is very much unlike any other cat in that he doesn’t play or jump or climb at all. Ever. The only time he moves faster than a waddle is if you bring out the vacuum cleaner. Once he’s decided on a spot, that is where you will find him for the next few weeks until he moves to the next place. Moving him requires effort since he weighs about 26lbs so we’ve gotten used to just moving around him if he is blocking our path.”

Nanea Hoffman’s Curious Clooney: 

“Clooney the cat’s story begins with my daughter’s kitten Smokey, who was diagnosed with a fatal coronavirus shortly after we brought him home. My then-8 year old became a kitten hospice nurse in the months that followed, and it was both sad and beautiful to see how the experience transformed her. I shared bits of their journey on social media. One day, a woman named Samantha Joedicke in South Carolina, who was a fan of Sweatpants & Coffee, wrote to me through our Facebook page telling me she ran an animal rescue center, and she knew she had a cat that belonged with us. Lots of people write to us, and lots of people feel like they know me, which is lovely, but sometimes you have to keep your guard up. Something about her message stuck with me, though, and I felt like I needed to contact her. We ended up Skyping and she and my daughter, who is also named Samantha, connected right away. After messaging back and forth, trying to figure out how to get Clooney to California, Sammy and I ended up flying across the country to fetch him ourselves. From the moment he was placed in Sammy’s arms, he’s been family. He’s extraordinarily affectionate, fearlessly curious, and rather clumsy. He also loves to pee in sinks, probably because he knows he’s the king of the house.”

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