Birthday

Our Persian cat, Ash, is ten years old today. We "adopted" him on January 1, 1996, about five months after we were married. I wish I could say he's grown into a sweet lovable companion but the truth is he's quite the surly misanthrope. More often than not he will either ignore or run away and hide from most people.

Except for me. He will, when the mood strikes him, take advantage of my prone state and park his 14 pound carcass on my chest, stick his butt in my face and knead me with his claws while making himself comfortable. He has never done this with my wife, or anyone else. Why he bonded only with me is a mystery. Here is a picture of him in his most common position, i.e., one of repose:











The reason his hair is so short is because we had him shaved a couple of months back. Since he won't allow us to brush or comb him, without biting or slashing us in the process, we take him to the groomer when his mats get too thick. Here's one from when he was a kitten, probably taken weeks after we got him:














You wouldn't think he'd grow to be such a stinker, would you?