Kismet

When asked to describe Kismet with only one word, that word would have to be "friendly". Kismet is a very social cat. He likes everyone, even the cable guy. While brother, Wookie, will duck and run until the coast is clear, and Fanci will make herself scarce, Kismet happily cozies up to one and all. I don't know where Kismet got his "friendly disposition", but I am glad he is ultra-amicable.

However, there is one thing that does put a "crimp" in Kismet's cute, naturally-bobbed tail... he does not like having his picture taken. Kismet will turn away when he sees a camera or simply leave the room. I love taking photos of my cats... so, cat photo sessions can become quite a challenge.

Other than being photographed, nothing ever seems to rattle Kismet. The only other exception that comes to mind would be Kismet coming face to face with a strange cat through the glass of the patio door. This happens infrequently, but always seems to unnerve all my cats. When they spy a strange cat on the patio, their hair stands on end, making each cat appear twice their normal size, and they spit and scream like demented banshees, which, ultimately, unnerves me, if I am within earshot.

(Update for 2007... several homeless felines and a possum have been visiting my patio regularly, since I provide them with fresh dry cat food and fresh water 24/7. As a result, my cats are now accustomed to seeing strange cats on my patio, and they simply observe, rather than go ballistic.)

Kismet also enjoys dishing large doses of "sugar and spice". My other cats are happy reclining on the wide arms of my comfy chair or sitting quietly on my lap while I watch television in the evenings. Not "Mr. Congeniality". Kismet's favorite activity is curling himself, bodily, around my neck. While agreeable on cold wintry nights, in warmer weather, having an adult cat wrapped around my neck can be somewhat discomfitting. Kismet knows no season.

Kismet came to live with me about six months after I brought Wookie home. I was so in love with Wookie, I just had to have another male kitten from the same breeder.

I called the breeder to inquire about up-coming litters of kittens. She informed me there would be a litter ready to go the second week in October 2002.

To make a long story short, I was planning to bring home the only male seal lynx point kitten in that litter, but the poor little guy was so tiny and frail, I decided to purchase the only other male, Kismet, a blue-eyed, blue point with a naturally bobbed tail. The kitten I brought home would have to be able to hold his own against Fanci and Wookie.

Cute little Kizzie.

The breeder explained that the mother cat had inexplicably stopped producing milk early and the kittens paid the price by being under-nourished. Although thin, Kismet seemed in good over-all health. The other two kittens in the litter were female seal points, and they were extremely healthy looking, which led me to believe they were getting the "lion's share" of whatever milk the mother had to give.

Kismet and Wookie are actually step brothers. They share the same father, but have different mothers. Kismet resembles their father, while Wookie looks more like his mother.

As I was driving home from the breeder's with Kismet tucked away safely in a pet carrier, I was trying to think of a name for my new kitten. Since my new kitten was a boy, I decided "Kismet" sounded appropriately masculine... so Kismet it would be. If Kismet had been a girl, I would have called "her" Karma.

The idea also occurred to me that if I had purchased two identical kittens, one a male and one a female, I could have named them Kismet and Karma... how devine! AAhhhhh, in my next life!

Kismet "strings" Fanci and Roo along.

(Roo was adopted, as a 12 week old kitten, by me from our local animal shelter. Roo's early life on the streets had given him a "bad boy" attitude, which would have made adoption nearly impossible. With patience and understanding, Roo soon learned that living with humans was not entirely unappealing. Roo is now happily living "the good life" with my grown son.)