Squirt

This is my new ally my battle of wills with the Poke (aka Smokey).

Don’t worry – It’s only water.

The Evolution of a Name

How many names do you have for your pet? I bet you’d be surprised if you made a list.






I’ll use Smokey as an example. (Because I know how much you all love the little shi- I mean goofball.  ) His original name was Cry Baby Slim. When he first joined our family, he was skinny and would not shut up. The skinny part isn’t true anymore, but he still won’t shut up!

Here’s a quick list of his nicknames:


Mocha-chunka-latte
Mocha-chunk
Chocolate Moke
Moke
Poke
Poke Poke
P Poke Train
Poke-a-Moke
Chunka-Moke
Mokerson
Mocus Pocus


Each name represents a different frame of mind/attitude and/or behavior, and sometimes one name can have different meanings depending on the way it’s said. It’s kinda like using a child’s middle name when they’re misbehaving, except Smokey’s name gets shorter when he’s driving us nuts.

Wanted: Sanity

I love Smokey. There are some days, though, that I’d love to throw his whiny little butt outside. Maybe dropkick is the right word.


He’s noisy. If you need a 4am wake-up, he’s your cat. He meows to go outside and when he’s hungry – which is 99% of the time. He also lets you know he’s up to something bad with this odd high pitched chatter. Basically the only time he’s quiet is when he’s eating or sleeping.

He’s too smart for his own good. He can open cupboard doors with ease and remove the lids from plastic containers.

He’s a menace. He knocks things off countertops just to get your attention. He also likes to pick fights with his housemates or drop a stinky turd in the nearest litter box, just to let you know he’s unhappy about something.

He’s a thief. He will eat just about anything. Everything is fair game to him. Watermelon, tomatoes, cantaloupe, green peppers, oatmeal, nuts. He’ll even chew on a lemon rind. You can’t leave anything where he can get it. There are baby locks on the cupboard where we store the garbage so he can’t get into it.

He’s the enforcer. He patrols our house, keeping the other cats in line. Sometimes, I think he feels he’s following my orders.


Smokey is lucky he’s a snuggly bug. He sleeps with me some nights, throws his little body against me with a sigh. Melts my heart every time.

In the jungle with the Bster... This is the enclosure we built so the cats can go outside without the worry of them running off. Bster loves to spend hours outside keeping watch over his kingdom.