Kitty
Officially named, Princess Kitty Baby ("PKB" for short), Kitty is a 5-year old Tuxedo cat who was rescued as a kitten from the Oregon Humane Society on an unusually snowy February morning when Jake decided he could no longer live without a cat. We stood in line for hours, freezing in the snow for 3 days straight, but by the 3rd day we had learned our lesson and were sure to be first in line! She was the only kitten available for adoption that winter day and they warned us that she was a "chatty girl." Well, "chatty" was a real underestimate of her true ambition – she's striving to be a world class opera singer who yowls out long nightly yarns to a captive audience (whether they paid for tickets to the show or not!). Despite singing through the night and initially urinating on every couch cushion, she quickly stole our hearts and wasted no time turning us into her human servants.
Always a bit of a wild child at heart, Kitty can proudly say that she has climbed to the very top of every single curtain panel in the house and to the very top of every single open door. She also holds the distinct honor of being a master escape artist who never stops looking for new opportunities to showcase her legendary skills. She once got out of her harness as a kitten when out on a neighborhood stroll with her parents, escaped the apartment without her mother's notice when she was about a year old, and chewed a hole through her carrier on the flight to Honolulu when we were moving back from Portland last year.
When not rehearsing her next ballad or planning her next daring escapade, Kitty enjoys eating yummy treats, coughing up the occasional hairball (on the carpet, of course!), being petted by her dad, getting brushed by her mom, and generally being left alone by her annoying little brother (Binky!). Her favorite book is Orwell's Animal Farm, because it's a great little examination of tyranny and the Russian Revolution, and she also loves that no matter how many regime changes come and go on the Farm, nothing ever changes for the cats who remain free to do whatever they please!
Her other purpose in life is to help us all remember to re-wild. Humans are animals after all, and all animals (wild and domestic), have many and varied needs for optimal wellness. Cats are the masters of "self-care." By reminding us that modern humans benefit from remembering our animal nature (re-wilding), we have the opportunity to consciously create the unique self-care routines we need as individuals and to establish our foundations of health. As the saying goes, "no two cats are alike." Cats then, like humans, are a celebration of diversity and each is truly one-of-a-kind.