10 years old (will be 11 in December)
I got him when he was 6 weeks old (to the day)
I was married at the time I got Cyrus. We had two other cats at the time (Parker & a 6 month kitten named Bacon) and on Christmas Eve we went to Petsmart to buy them a cat condo. While walking out I saw a lady standing outside the front doors with a little kitten in her arms. He had a little brown leather collar on and looked like a tiny white tiger (all white with light gray stripes). I walked closer for a better looked & said "Aww...how cute!" The lady literally shoved him into my arms & said "He's 6 weeks old. Merry Christmas" and started to walk away. I looked at my ex-husband & he said, "Okay, fine." I sorta yelled to the lady, "Are you sure?" and she said "Yes, he looks like he'll have a good home." I have no idea if she really thought that or if she just wanted to get rid of him but I didn't care. It was L.O.V.E. at first sight. He was mine the moment I laid eyes on him. Jason knew it (the ex) and I'm guessing the lady knew it.
His nick-name is Bubba Lou. He's had it for so long I don't even remember how it came about. He sorta always seemed like he was more Midwestern than Southwestern. When he was younger he was extremely laid back. I used to say it seemed like he should have a piece of wheat grass (or whatever it is) hanging out of his mouth.
As you can see in any picture of him his eyes are always dilated. He doesn't have normal cat eyes. I have no idea why but I do know it makes it extremely hard for him to see when he's outside (on the enclosed patio, no wild roaming for my kitties!).
The only time he's ever not used the cat litter box is when I had my niece, Elizabeth, over for the night & she was sleeping on the couch. Cyrus had only been with us a couple of weeks but knew the litter box routine from day one. Beth grabbed Cyrus & put him up on the couch with her and was playing with him. After a while he started scrambling all around the blankets & she thought he was playing until he pooped on her. I'm not sure who was more horrified & shocked. Him or her. He was trying to figure out how to get down & ended up having an accident when he couldn't figure it out. Had I been watching I would have known the signs of panic on his face (an occurrence that happened often when he was really involved in playing & lost track of the urgency of bathroom breaks) and would have ushered him towards the laundry room where the litter box lived.
Since the day we brought him home he's never been able to fully retract his claws. You could hear him walking everywhere. He was almost impossible to play with since he would scratch you to pieces, whether or not he meant to. That reason alone was why we decided to have his front claws removed. He never scratched anything but the cat condo or cat scratches we had. He'd attack Bacon (still not declawed at the time) whenever she'd go to the couch or whatever wasn't a cat scratch and start clawing. He'd also attack Parker when she'd go and "scratch" the couch arms. She was declawed but he didn't seem to know that, he just knew she was doing the actions in a place that she wasn't supposed to. No joke, he was the best kitten EVER!
I do regret having him declawed because he didn't react well to the medication they had him on and instead of calming him down & making him sleepy it amped him up. When we got home from picking him up I let him out in the bathroom and had to keep him in there over night, while I slept on the floor with him to try to keep him calm because he came out of his carrier like a bucking bronco and ended up busting just about every toe open. There was blood everywhere but he would not calm down or stop jumping & standing on them. To this day you cannot touch his feet, he will freak out. I know they don't bother him but he does have scar tissue for toe pads.
Cyrus is a very friendly cat. He loves to come say hi to anyone who comes over. At least, he used to BR....before Remington. When I'd have girls over he'd end up flirting with them & strategically laying himself on the floor in front of them in cute positions to try & gain their attention. He loves to be praised. Up until the last couple years you could only touch & pet him with ONE hand. Two hands would have him running off. He is still a bit squirrelly with two hands but when he's in the mood to be pet he loves it. He even lets me snuggle sometimes. He really loves his ears & cheeks scratched.
He is no where near a lap cat. He won't even sit on the same couch as anyone. He tolerates sharing a bed but only if there is ample room between him & you. Unless he wants to snuggle & what I call nuzzle. He buries his head under the blankets close to you & marches his paws on you & purrs...and most of the time drools. It's so cute as long as the blanket is between you & his drool.
I swear for the first 7 years of his live I never heard him purr. He purrs a lot more now. You can't hear him unless you get right next to him or put your ear to his stomach because he's so quiet. It seems the purring and the two hand petting came around the same time. I'm guessing is a mellowing of age thing.
He's slow to pounce or play, he always sits back & has to evaluate the situation first. When he was a kitten I was crafting a birdhouse using small river rocks (for the roof) and the little booger stole a rock. He still has it to this day. I found it a few days later in the pile of toys he was playing with. We keep it in the cat toy basket & he will pull it out from time to time. He carries it around in his mouth. I've caught Remington doing it too. Parker, on the other hand, won't even acknowledge its existence.
He loves to play blanket monster. He's ferocious! I can only play when I have a thick blanket on the bed otherwise he tears my hand up biting & kicking. I don't think he realizes it's your hand under the blanket. He loves to get the blanket monster and it's the only time he's quick about anything. He could play for hours. I think part of it is it's on the bed. He loves the bed.
If Cyrus escapes he doesn't go far. He immediately drops the second his feet hit "outside". He loves to roll around in dust & dirt. I just keep the door open & tell him to get inside & he goes back inside. He has never bolted or ran away from me, he always runs back to the door if something scares him or if I yell at him (while outside).
He loves to lay on clothes. Dirty clothes. Clean clothes. The minute you set it down he will be on it. Like a ninja! You won't know he's even around but if you lay clothing down he's magically there. His favorite place in the whole world is in the laundry basket...or when I have piles of laundry on the floor (while doing it). He just burrows into it and goes to sleep.
Cyrus isn't one for catnip, never has been. I don't know if he just doesn't like it or if it just doesn't effect him. He does, however, LOVE the smell of tobacco. When Will & I were together Cyrus was Will's buddy! Cyrus would go to Will after he came in from smoking and get all up in Will's business, rubbing on him & licking his hands. I swear it would make him high. He'd get all crazy or end up passing out. One night Will went to pet Cyrus while he was on the bed and they ended up falling asleep because Will laid down next to Cyrus and Cyrus started cleaning Will. He started with one hand then the other and then promptly passed out. They slept together for a few hours. It was hilarious! Cyrus has never bonded with anyone like he did Will and I doubt he ever will again.
As he's gotten older Cyrus has become more vocal. He growls like a dog most of the time, especially now that Remington has come to live with us. Remington bugs Cyrus to no end! Cyrus is so hyper sensitive to Remington that if Remi walks into the same room Cyrus immediately starts growling, which of course makes Remi go and bug him. I think if Cyrus would just keep quiet & ignore Rem he wouldn't get so much crap from Remi. He acts like he hates him but when he doesn't think anyone is looking I catch them sleeping together or Cyrus will be cleaning Remington. Once they realize I'm there or noticed it's back to fighting.
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