We never thought we'd fall in love with a cat that looked like she'd been shaved; yet that is exactly what has happened. Ever since "Cleopatra", our Sphynx cat, wandered into our lives, she's managed to wrap her little "paws" around our hearts.
"Cleo", as we call her, looks like a cat: she just doesn't have much in the way of hair. What hair she does have is very fine and extremely short; when you pet her it feels velvety to the touch. Because she doesn't have much in the way of hair, we have to be careful not to let her get too hot (she can get heatstroke or heat exhaustion and can even get a sunburn!) or too cold (to keep her warm, we wrap her up in nice, fluffy towels or have her wear warm sweaters).
She is a beautiful rosy peach color with big, golden-green eyes. She is very exotic looking, and very sweet in termperament. She loves to sit right by my side (or by the side of my family) and purr her little head off. She loves to play with toys or wads of paper and to watch the activity going on outside our main livingroom window (or anywhere else, for that matter!).
We found "Cleo" last year; she came on our back porch, meowing for a heandout; when we saw her sitting in the rain, looking miserable, we couldn't help but feel sorry for her, so we took her in, and ... she's been ours ever since.
"Cleo" is a champion purrer: she purrs practically nonstop (but will show her claws if our Yorkie, "Furbage", gets too rambunctious, or if one of our toddler twin boys pulls on her tail. She isn't afraid to ask for a belly rub or a nice massage; to her that is one of the best things in the world!
At first, my husband relented on taking her; he said that she was the ugliest cat he'd ever seen, but she's managed to change his mind; now the two of them are practically best friends. He's the one she goes to, and often, whenever I come home from work, there they'll be: human and feline together, "Clleo" on hubby's lap, purring her head off, while Al (husband) scratches her behind the ears or underneath her chin!
My daughter loves "Cleo" too: she loves to dress him up in her doll clothes (my daughter is five), but only as long as "Cleo" allows her to. She has her limits (not to mention, her dignity!).
Mason and Myron, the twins, love to chase her or pull her tail or whiskers; they're at that age where they think she is a live toy. Both Al and I keep trying to teach them to respect "kitty" and to "treat her nice"; it doesn't always work out, especially whenever "Cleo" smacks 'em one with her paw and hisses angrily at them. Then the boys flee, crying their faces off, telling me about "the bad kitty".
"Cleo" is an excellent conversation starter, but it isn't long before people are endeared by her charming personality and her sweeet ways. She may not look like your typical household cat, but to us she is just "purr"fect, just the way she is!
