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Shoulder Cat Or More Than You Cared To Know About Ocicats

Truth be told, Coda was a bit of an accident. Wait, let me start at the beginning: I have two Ocicats.* Ender is older by three days, male, and colored cinnamon. Coda is younger, female, and colored tawny. 

Ender has all the beautiful looks of the Ocicat breed and a needy, outspoken personality -- he meows constantly, follows people around while doing so, and seeks attention pretty much all the time. He will come when called, unless small children are about because then he's busy hiding goddammit, and his favorite thing in the world beyond getting snacks from me is chasing after crumbled up pieces of paper, especially if they go into a trashcan first. 

When I came across the Ocicat breed and found a suitable breeder, back in the day, Ender was the kitty I wanted. From the first pictures sent to me to my visit to the breeder, this little guy stole my heart. It was a foregone conclusion that he would be coming home with me once he was healed from his little surgery, which is another story for another day but, to anyone paying attention, should speak loudly as to why I fell in love with him immediately. We're both surgery kids.

But see, Ocicats are very social. Buying just one kitty is not a smart idea, unless you like depressed cat behavior (shredded furniture, piss on everything, etc. and so forth). Ocicats are like puppies: they need interaction. All the time. Especially at 5:30 in the morning when Ender is under the covers already and Coda wants to find him and can't, so she wakes me up to lift the damn blankets.

In order to take home Ender, the breeder told me to pick another Oci from them or to give them proof he'd otherwise have a companion at home. I toyed with the idea of getting a Siamese to go with Ender, since my first experience with cats was with a Siamese who was my bestest friend ever, but I couldn't find any breeders/places selling appropriate aged kitties. (Most folks release kitties too early, at the "cuter" stage but before the kitten has been properly psychologically developed by time with their parents...this is a very mean thing to do.)  So anyway, I accidentally stumbled upon Coda while there the second time. This too is another story for another day.

Coda is...well, Coda. Mousy looking, she has clear Abyssinian traits (pointed tail, pointy ears, and smallish face comparatively). She doesn't speak often but when she does, she squeaks. She's a lot more relaxed than Ender -- she isn't "needy" for attention, but she loves being where everyone else is nonetheless. Even so, she has no problem being aloof until she figures out where she wants to be in the room. She'll glare at me when I call to her, but if I make weird noises with my mouth she'll come. But see, she'll come out and meet strangers before Ender will, mostly because noise attracts her curiosity. 

Coda's also a shoulder cat. Both of my cats love being held...or flipped around, tugged at, smacked at, chased, held upside-down. But when you pick up Coda, be prepared: she will immediately seek your left shoulder to crawl up and around on. This is her preferred carrying position, which her purrs will demonstrate clearly:

I'm obviously used to this

She likes the view

Ender isn't a shoulder cat. I can carry him like a baby though, and he wraps his front paws around my arm like a little clasp -- it's cute, I guess. If you like that sort of thing. It's just that Coda's my shoulder cat. And that's cooler than anything.

* Ocicats are Abyssinian, Siamese, and American Shorthair (added later and mixed in for color) and are an official breed according to the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA). 

5 comments:

  1. If your Mom read this post, I bet she's having a heart attack. She'll take you to court before you'll get those kitties back! Let's just get some more Ocicats, and name them after Street Fighter characters.

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  2. I don't even like cats, but Ocicats seem really cool. I want to hear about Ender's surgery and how you found Coda sometime if you get the chance. :)

    ~Cassy

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  3. ...Coda IS a girl cat. I don't think she'd have climbed on your shoulder had she known you were gonna call her a dude. Dick.

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  4. this is *jessica.
    just found your blog!
    i cant believe you didnt start one sooner. just up your ally i think.
    anyhow, great post. ryder (hes three and three quarters now) came up to me while i was reading and said hey mom let me look at that cat for a minute. then he said our cat doesn't sit on my shoulder, thats not fair. i want my cat to sit on my shoulder like this one ok? lets work on that. i told him i was down, but that i doubt its gunna happen. he wasnt really satisfied. just wanted to let you know you made him jealous.
    on another note, i cant believe your parents have taken ownership of your babies (i read your girls comment). not to rub salt in a wound... i just know how much you LOVE them. this must be hard for you. i think i do remember how you said that the kitties took up residence with them some time ago, but to think that you are no longer their primary caretaker makes me a bit sad. what awesome cats they were/are! remember when i accidentally used to lock ender in the closet for the day when i left for work? and you would come home and be all what the fuck dude, just what the fuck? i give you props now for not making me feel like a horrible person for being so careless. cause i was. careless and carefree. ahh the good old days. i would like to take this moment to say im sorry i was such a nitwit, you probably wanted to strangle me for one thing or another weekly at least, but you always remained calm and awesome...thank you.
    coda was such an adorable purr machine. ender was so talented at fetch. both were huge bonuses to living with you. :) as if there needed to be any bonuses. im sure i wasn't always fun to live with, but i literally never had a complaint about you. everyone should be so lucky to find a stranger to share a home with as i was. miss you and your kitties mr. eaken. hope all is well in your world.
    much love
    xoxo
    *the only roommate you have ever had named jessica

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  5. I dunno, I'm pretty sure you and Jason saw grumpy Kid fairly often! You had to put up with just as much as I did, I think, but time definitely makes me forget about all that and just remember it as a good time had by all.

    By the way, you should never feel bad about Ender. When my parents took custody of the kitties, Ender's new thing became running out into their garage when the door was opened...he'd hide out there as long as he could. He took getting into the closet to a whole new level!

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