Othello the Fine Fellow by KimB

Othello is nearing 2 years old now. We got him from the local shelter a year ago and he's a wonderful but quirky addition to the house.

He is really attached to Allen and follows behind as Allen does chores. He likes to keep an eye on things to make sure everything is "just so".

He has a play toy that he carries around and brings to Allen when he wants to play chase. When he was younger, Othello did all the chasing but now, he runs just a short way then stops to wait for Allen to come and pick up the toy to toss again. I think, he wants Allen to have "fun" chasing the toy too.

He loves to run up the stairs with me in the morning to my computer room. He has a cat tree with a box on the top that sits under a window. In the mornings, I pick him up to put him in the box and we snuggle together looking for the morning birds flitting outside the window.

He's learned to sleep on our new recliners. At first, he was a bit scared of the motor sounds, even though they are quiet. I think he was perplexed by the movement more than the sound though.

Like most cats he loves snoozing in the sun and we learned he likes bath towels so snuggle up in. So, we put one on each recliner so he can have his "blankies" as he moves from chair to chair.

Like our previous kitty, Zazu, he's learned all the places the sun hits and he heads there for long naps. Like her, he knows what time the sun will be at the top of the stairs and when it is at the bottom. He even knows when it is time to move to the recliners for optimal sun bathing.

His quirkiness shows up from time to time by getting into "attack mode". It seems to overcome him occasionally. He gets a hard look in his eye and fixates on something: usually Allen. In a flash it's a hard grab with all 4 paws and enough teeth to make sure you know, "I've got you!!!" He's very strong and you can hardly unwind him. Allen has a rattle-bottle nearby in case of "pending attack". We've learned to short circuit most of these episodes but once in a while he gets through. When Allen spots him starting to have "that look", he scolds Othello and the episode often passes with a hop into his lap and a snuggle and head rub.

While we still miss our Zazu, Othello has brought a lot of joy and a fair amount of mischief to our house. We wouldn't want it any other way.

[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB.]

Othello the Fine Fellow
2 years old