Daily Photo: Cousins Chester and Luna

Some of our kitty friends really are cousins, but some, those who live with people we know, are cousins in spirit, which we think is just as good.

Today I visited a customer to drop off some merchandise, but not before I was greeted and approved by their two tuxedo kitties. It’s something I’ve always looked forward to since most of my customers, even for graphic design, are managed by felines.

I loved the image of Chester, above, under the table, and his mom told me that was one of his favorite places, and if a place was round with a roof and decorative floor and perfectly fit a kitty, what else could it possibly be intended for?

But business had to be attended to and Chester was definitely up to the task. He is actually Chester III, because his human grandfather was named Chester, and his cat daddy has Chester for a middle name. You may notice that his left ear is tipped, the universal sign of a cat who has been neutered in a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program, and may at one time have lived outdoors with a colony of other homeless cats.

Chester is about five now, but was found in bad shape several years ago along a road by a kind woman who stopped to investigate the black and white cat she’d seen. He had no injuries was was painfully matted, flea-infested and starving. She took him home and had him cleaned up and neutered, and he may have lived outdoors again for a while. But somehow, whether because the colony had to move or he was so friendly and affectionate, his rescuer got him into a foster home with FosterCat, Inc.

Chester’s humans work with FosterCat, and Chester’s cat daddy was volunteering for them to be Santa in the feline holiday photo shoot at a local PetSmart while Chester’s cat mom was helping with photos. Chester’s foster mom was there, as was Chester, in a cage for adoption. Chester’s humans went over to meet him, his cat daddy took him out of the cage to cuddle him and it was love at sight for both of them. He is quiet, gentle and mellow, the perfect “Type B” personality for their other cat, Luna. They had recently lost two of their cats, Maple and Bogey, and didn’t really think they were ready to adopt again, but they went home with Chester that day.

In addition to his duties as a greeter and merchandise inspector, Chester also cools mugs of coffee professionally, with one sweep of his big fluffy tail.

I was a little surprised to see Luna as she usually stays upstairs, but that was likely because when the other cats were around she felt safer up there. Down she came to see what we were doing and to come over and say “hello”. Luna is 17 and was adopted by her human’s daughter from a shelter as a kitten all those years ago. I’ve always liked her white toes, and I love white whiskers on a black cat, but the little heart-shaped black nose really has me hooked.

She really had other ideas for the table, though, and wandered among our things until she decided she’d rather have her peace and quiet upstairs.

Chester and Luna’s mom Carolyn owns MyThreeCats.com, specializing in select merchandise for cats and their people.  She’s been one of my customers since 1998 when she had a bricks and mortar shop, the longest customer relationship I have in my business. We’ve worked together on websites, advertising, writing and merchandise through the years; Carolyn often carries things I make, and recently we collaborated on a special limited run of tees and nightshirts, which were delivered and duly inspected by her feline supervisors.

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