Mispickel

Location: Spring, Texas, USA

Mispickel

We adopted Mispickel from our veterinarian the day after we had to put our beloved American Eskimo dog, White Diamond, to sleep at the age of seventeen. The thought of the house without a pet was unbearable, and she was a five-month-old kitten who needed a family. “Mispickel” is an old colloquial term for arsenopyrite (an arsenic/sulfur compound); we thought she should have a mineral name in honor of Diamond. She had been abandoned at a local elementary school and one of the vet’s receptionists found her when she went to pick up her kids. She is a personality and a half! I joke that if I didn’t know better, I’d think the house was haunted–I often clean up the bathroom, leave, and come back a few minutes later to find all of the cabinet doors open and the guest towels in a pile on the floor (because they were blocking Mispickel’s favorite hiding spot). She can detect feet under at least four layers of blankets–even if you’re not moving them–and is trying to learn to use the spigot on the water cooler. I don’t quite understand the thought that cats are aloof and uninterested–I’ve never had one who would leave me alone, much less ignore me. This one is right in the middle of whatever we’re doing: Middle of the kitchen during dinner, playing in the bathtub when I want to take a shower, diving into piles of clean laundry when I need to fold them, hanging out with us on movie night, and, yes, “helping” me sew.

Author: Tom “The Kittenmaster” Cooper

Tom is the owner of 4 amazing cats, and using the Daily Kitten he provides a place for cat and kitten lovers to share the love for their own cats and kittens.