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).