She's a looker, eh? Fluffy, silky and black. Her high cheek bones are as regal is her pluming tail. she's definitely one of the prettiest cats I've ever seen. Yes I'm extremely biased, but people constantly keep remarking how gorgeous she is. What kind is she? They would ask. And until a month ago, I always responded with a shrug, "Rescue".
See, I had no clue what kind of cat she was. Her origins couldn't be any more humble. In the summer of 2009 my son was doing a little fishing in a lake that was only a couple blocks from our home. While sitting on the dock, he heard mewing coming from the dumpster at the edge of the parking lot. At first he thought the cat was under the dumpster, so he crouched down, trying to find the mew'r, but found nothing. It was then he realized the sound was coming from INSIDE the dumpster.
Inside the dumpster he finally pinpointed the mewing coming from a certain trash bag. Inside that trash bag was an old, zipped up backpack. What he found inside the backpack horrified him. There huddled together were two kittens, one grey stripped, the other black as night. The black one was so small that it could lay in the palm of my son's hand. My son, being the animal lover he is, snuck the kittens into our home. We were not allowed to have pets, but this did not deter him from hiding them in his room. I think a week went by before I discovered them. One morning, while it was still dark, I went into his room to ask him something. As I opened the bedroom door, I spotted something stretching and yawning on his bed. It scared me! Omg! Was that a rat?!!! Did we have rats??!! I flipped on the light and found not one, but two bundles of fur cuddled around my son's sleeping form.
After much begging, I allowed him to keep the black one and the gray one found itself a home. My son was warned that this was his pet, to care for alone. The main reason is I'm allergic to cat dander. The other, I'm just not a cat person. I apologize to all you cat people out there, but I've never been real fond of cats. I'm sure the that had a lot to do with the sneezing and itching eyes and skin.
Despite my initial avoidance, this little feisty ball of fur soon wormed her way into my heart. We realized that she couldn't have been more than five weeks old, because she was so tiny and constantly suckled our fingers, like she was trying to nurse. It became obvious that she had imprinted on me as her mother. I could not take a step without my lil shadow. I had to learn to shuffle my feet, so not to step on her tiny little form. In a short time, she became my constant companion.
Due to her being black, my son named her Phantom. It was fitting. As she grew, like a phantom in the night, she would playful pop out and scare me. Her favorite all time punking was to jump out of the clothes hamper in the morning, as I was dressing for work. Later, my son also started randomly calling her Bobaggins, for no other reason that it was fun to say. Soon she became Phantom Bobaggins and eventually that became her official name. We call her Bo most of the time, although when she's in trouble, the full name gets used. Usually when she is stealing a slice of pizza.
My son moved out and was unable to take her with him. His job kept him on the road. It was always understood that, when he eventually found himself in a position to be able to take care of a pet, she would go live with him. Despite this understanding, she inevitably became my cat. She traveled to the Pacific North West with me and has been my constant companion since.
A month ago I snapped a picture of her, sunning herself on the window sill. I posted that picture on various social media and was flooded with messages on where did I obtain my Chantilly/Tiffany from? I told them all she was a stray. One of those friends is a cat breeder, with a chocolate Chantilly/Tiffany and after a lot of pictures, she concluded that Bo is a naturally occurring Chantilly/Tiffany. She has all the traits, from the ruff at the neck, high cheek bones, silky semi long coat, streamers on ears, yellow eyes, to the distinctive chirping she does. Then she explained to me that Chantilly/Tiffany are nearly extinct and that Bo, even being a naturally occurring one, was a rare kitty. So the little ball of fluff that nearly lost her life in a dumpster is a rare kitty? Well, I knew that already! She survive insurmountable odds. She wormed her way into a non cat lover's heart. She dominates all the big dogs that run loose around our neighborhood. I'd say she is a very rare, unique cat indeed!
I can't begin to tell you what a pleasure and a comfort she has been We cohabitate well together. Our moods seem pretty synchronized. She wants affection and to cuddle when I do and goes about her business when I'm busy. (With the exception of when I work. She works hard to distract me then. This is a game we play and it will probably continue until we are old and forget the other exists.)
It's a point of interest that she is most likely a rare breed of kitty. This by no means defines her. She is special due soley on her bad ass attitude and loving nature. I don't need papers to tell me how special she is. Her value goes beyond breed. She is my loving companion and that's all I really need to know about her.
Love your fur babies! Namaste!
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