Cheddar
American Shorthair
Acquired: Other (stray, given cat by friend etc.)
Gender: Male
Cheddar is his name...
A few years ago, my parents got a precious new kitten from a neighbor, and I jumped at the chance to get one of my own. I was in college living in a pet-friendly apartment, and a cat seemed like a reasonable idea since I wanted something that would pay more attention to me than my fish.
I took the only kitten left, the runt, and named him Cheddar. After being roughed up by his sister a few times, he quickly learned to tackle and defend himself. After spending a lot of time with my German Shepherd Max, Cheddar began acting more like a dog than a cat, and romping around the house with my roommate's German Shepherd/Bullmastiff mix Sam became his favorite pastime, along with shredding (one of my first purchases was a scratching post). Still, he always retained the snuggly affection of any loving kitty, and slept curled above my head every night.
Cheddar is 3 years old now, and most of the time seems to think he's a big dog. His intelligence amazes me constantly - he plays fetch with pens, and I've taught him to sit, lay down, stay, and shake on command. He always greets me at the door when I get home, and he always snuggles up with me for at least a little while before bed. Who says man's best friend has to be a dog?
