Brand New Kittens, 1992

Pouncer was born to a litter of five kittens on June 30, 1992, in a little house in Chandler Arizona. Her father was a color point, and her mother was, like her, solid gray. She earned her name as a kitten by bopping me on the knee the very first time we met, when she was only about a month old. We brought her and her sister Plopper home at just eight weeks old inside of a borrowed cardboard box. She spent the entire car trip trying to escape from that box by repeatedly leaping up and knocking on the closed top. When I peeked inside, her tiny little face stared up at me defiantly.

Pouncer was the undisputed top cat from day one. She was the first to climb up on top of the kitten bed, the first to climb the kitten tower, and the first to breach the cardboard barrier that was meant to protect her. She was ever so proud of herself the day she was the first to leap up to the kitchen counter top. When John built our first cat pole, Pouncer climbed up before he could even finish making it. Throughout her tenure, whenever something new came along she'd be the first one to reach the top of whatever it was. She surveyed her domain and her subjects from the highest vantage points available and became famous for disciplining her underlings from above with a technique that became known as rapid-fire bopping. She even once used it on me from the top of the fridge.

Kittens at Play, 1992

Pouncer knew how to have a good time. She loved to play soccer with soccer-patterned ping-pong balls. We used these on many occasions to trick her away from the front door so that we could get in and out. She liked to chase the tinsel birdie and the feline flier, and she chattered whenever she saw real birds through the window. No number of obstacles could keep her out of a window, and she loved to chase rainbow spots from crystals spinning in the sun. The sound of whistling or a recorder would put her in to a frenzy. She'd pounce on the source of the sound as if she were taking down prey. She liked to shred toilet paper on the roll, and would make a big pile of it for us to find in the morning. She liked to practice the balance beam on curtain rods and towel racks, while not-so-coincidentally removing some of these from the walls when she became a bit heavier. She was an expert at opening cupboard doars, just for the sheer curiosity of it. Only once, she slipped out of the house and in to the garage. Fortunately that's as far as she got.

The Dr Pepper Incident, 1993

Pouncer also knew how to turn food in to fun. She liked fake bacon, but she liked it best when we'd toss it to her so that she could swat it out of the air. She could really send it flying. She was also an avid taste tester, such that for years we had to keep lids on our drinks to keep her little paws out. She liked to chew on plastic bags and would carry plastic drink lids around in her teeth. She once dragged away a bag of bread, which I later found stashed under my desk. She even chewed the corners of our piano bench when it was brand new because the seat was covered in plastic. We never had it repaired, so all these years later those teeth marks are still there. Pouncer had an unfortunate tendency to nibble on plants too, which is why we no longer have any indoor plants. She also occasionally sampled charcoal from the fireplace and then tracked it through the living room. Appropriately, she liked Pounce-brand treats, as well as salty popcorn and cashews. She loved shower water, the fresher the better. She didn't want to get wet, but she'd get as close as she could until the water turned off. She also liked to play hockey with ice chips on the kitchen floor. She was such an avid trash-can diver that we had to weigh down the kitchen trash with ceramic tiles so that she couldn't tip it over. (This practice fortunately subsided when we, the humans, became vegetarian.) As a group sport, she and the other cats loved to chase kibble in the great arena (an oval bathtub). We'd send a piece of food spinning around the inside of the tub and they'd all compete to see who could catch and eat it first. In the early days, she and the other cats would get Chef's Blend as a treat every evening from a battery operated jar that could meow. Whenever we'd open the jar it would meow and they'd all come running.

Pouncer and Plopper, 1998

After all that excitement, she knew how to relax too. She liked to groove around in the catnip and toss or hug her catnip toys. She had one toy in particular (we called it "the baby") that she'd carry around while making meoweling noises. She'd only do this in private though. If she saw that she was being watched then she'd drop the toy and pretend like nothing had happened. When she wanted attention, she'd rear up to our hands, or present her tushie so that we could pet her from head to tail. She loved to have her nose and forehead rubbed as if being bathed. In return for petties, she would bathe our arms and tuck her head in to the crook of our elbows. She would also knead and purr in our laps, routinely snagging any blanket or piece of clothing that could be snagged. For years I didn't bother to buy nice clothes because I knew they wouldn't survive the Pouncer. When she wanted food she'd bathe our legs, especially in the kitchen. She didn't meow a whole lot, but when she did it was loud and demanding and also usually involved food. Although she wasn't much for being picked up, she'd snuggle up tight next to us on the couch. She liked to sleep in Pouncer-sized boxes and would test out every new box to see if it was her size. Her favorite places to nap were on the rockers, on the back of the couch, and high up on her cat towers. She even continued to sleep on her little green kitten tower. Somehow she still fit curled up on top of it. She was also very skilled at nudging other cats out of her way when she wanted to sleep in a particular spot. We would often see Pouncer and Plopper nesting together or nearby each other, sometimes sharing a bath, although truthfully Pouncer preferred to be on the receiving end. One of her favorite nesting spots was in the upstairs walk-in closet. Both Pouncer and Plopper had privileged closet time where they could go in without any other cats and snuggle on plush fleece pillows in front of a big, warm, sunny, south-facing window. This became Pouncer's security zone too for when she didn't feel well.

Pouncer had many names, the most frequent being:

Pouncer was so loyal to us that whenever we came home she'd be waiting for us by the garage door entrance. She did this every day up until her later years when she'd lost much of her hearing. After that she could no longer hear the garage door opening.

She was also a member of the following cat societies:

The Grays are of course Pouncer and Plopper, our first cats. I have two gold cats with tiny diamond eyes on my wedding ring in honor of them. What more evidence could there be about how privileged the grays have been. They have always been and will always be very special to us.

Pouncer with a Crystal Rainbox, May 2004

Pouncer had an episode of acute kidney failure a few months before her twelfth birthday. She survived it, but we were told that she had at most a few months left. I guess they didn't account for her strong will to live because she did not give up so easily. After her hospitalization it took many months for her to recover, but she did it. During this period she initiated what we came to call Pouncer Time. When she'd see one of us sitting in a comfy chair or on the bed, her eyes would light up and she'd come over and nest in our laps, often for hours at a time. This ritual became a great source of bonding and fond memories for us. She even started to accept being picked up and carried around. She trusted us enough to let us give her subcutaneous fluids at home for more than three and a half years. She'd growl and posture, but after making some noise she seemed to know we were trying to help and she'd settle down. I'm sure the deli turkey rewards were also quite an incentive for her to put up with the ongoing medical care. Her vet techs were never quite so fortunate. We once heard a vet tech exclaim from the back room, "Oh no! Pouncer is coming!" It's unfortunate they were never able to see her the way that we do, but we certainly understand. She could be fierce.

Pouncer was such a beautiful cat, the tips of her hairs glowed in the sunlight, and her gray fur was so soft and silky, especially with the fluid therapy. She loved us and her sister Plopper. They were together nearly every day of her life, except for the few days when she was in the hospital. Pouncer started to act like she didn't feel well a few months ago. We tried one more trip to the hospital for IV fluids, but her kidneys were just too far gone. We took her home for another month, and when she could no longer rest comfortably we knew we had to put her to sleep. She passed away on a cold but sunny Friday afternoon, January 18th, 2008, at fifteen and a half years old. We miss her terribly and treasure every memory of her time here on earth.

Pouncer and Plopper in Apartment Window, 1992

Pouncer on a Cat Tower, 1998

Pouncer in the Window, May 2004

Pouncer in her Favorite Rocker, May 2004

Pouncer with her Catnip Toy, May 2006

Pouncer's 14th Birthday, June 2006

Pouncer's 15th Birthday, June 2007

Closet Time, November 2007

Pouncer Time, January 2008

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