Well… hello there. My name is “Belle”. I’m commonly called a grey tuxedo cat. Some insist and tell me true “tuxies” are black and white. That’s when I whip back with “grey is a form of black and white, isn’t it?”.
Anyway, I’ve heard any color can be a tuxedo cat because they’re really not an official breed of cat. I’ve always thought of “tuxies” as black and white myself. Tuxedo look with white paws and white tail tip. The sharper the lines the better.
However; I’ve come to think of a “tuxie” look as that sort of “dapper and formal” pattern that makes a cat look like they’ve got on a formal jacket (with tails). The pattern wraps around the shoulders like a jacket, exposing some chest (usually white like a shirt). Facial patterns can be white and triangular around the mouth and nose area but not really required.
Patterns can vary from the waist and further.. but generally the predominant feature is that the cat looks like it’s dressed formally. With that being said… I have plenty of “Tuxie” friends… and they’re of all sorts of colors. Ginger, traditional black and white, grey, and even peach “tuxies” can be found these days.
My name was actually “Bella” before I was tagged with “Belle”. It’s a long story… but as long as you have the time, I’ll oblige. I was rescued from going to the ASPCA by an awesome couple of humans. More on that HERE.
When I came to my new home I was the second “Bella” to come through the doors. A rescued white Maltese dog also comes over to our house to be dog watched every so often. Apparantly, when you have a pet friendly home, you can expect to be the first called up when someone needs pet sitting. In this case “Bella” was the Maltese’s name. So, as the name was pretty much already being used by a dog here, I became “Belle”. That’s what everyone was calling me anyway, so no biggie.
I have a few issues going on with myself. Nothing that hinders me from living a happy life so don’t you fret. (For one) I’ve been declawed. Check out this declawing article for more on that.
And two, my legs are a bit shorter in the front than they are in the back in what is believed to be a result of that claw removal because it was done too early in life and development was slow, if at all. (Going for three) My front toes are sensitive and its visible when I walk. Because of the sensitivity, I have a hard time jumping down from heights. Even heights that aren’t considered that high. I am getting better at jumping though because there’s plenty of things to play with up there in high places within my new home.
I have been spayed and I’m 14 years old this year.. let’s go with Oct 23 for a birthday because that was the day I arrived in my new home in 2016. My most prominent feature is my pink nose. Its the first thing you see and its the last thing you remember about me. I love to play and I don’t put up with any jibber jabber from anyone and that includes from my brother Paws. In fact, I give some jibber of my own to Paws so he knows when to back down.
I’m an empathy cat. What is an empathy cat? I have this ability to console those who need consoling. Whether they be sick, angry, grief stricken, or in pain; if there’s an animal or human who needs some empathy or consolation, I’m there lying down beside them… sharing their pain, misery, or being their friend.
I have an uncanny way of figuring out who needs that support… and I’m there (animal or human). I’m very supportive and can be very emotionally engaged with you.
I also have a nervous stomach. I throw my food up every once in a while. It could be that I’m all wound up beforehand with some activity… or it could be that I eat too fast. My owners have noticed that after transitioning from a “free feeding” dry food diet to “feeding times” with wet food… both my brother Paws and myself eat rather fast. I hear my owners say “it’s almost like they’re never going to eat again so they pack it down quick.”
With wet cat food, there’s usually feeding times rather than the food left out all day (like it used to be). I almost starve to death waiting for a feeding time during the day… There can only be about two or three. What the heck? Just in case they forget, I will let them know when they’re running late or they’re not getting to the food fast enough.
I’m slightly overweight but I’ve lost a good 10 lbs since I came to my new home and I (along with my brother Paws) have been switched off of the “free feeding”. I’m quite active now as well. That’s probably contributing to my svelte figure. I’m told I’m quite talkative. I hear my owner’s voice and I instantly know if they’re talking to me. I chat right back. I can be quite vocal when I want to be.
I can also be quite quiet when I want to be. Sometimes I get that feeling I just want to be left alone… and I go looking for that hidden space somewhere… I’ll stay there all the way up until someone comes to get me for feeding time. Here you can see where my owner found me when they started up that DRAGON they refer to as a vacuum cleaner. I’m deathly afraid of it and I will find a place to hide until that noise is all gone.
If there was one thing I could add about myself it’s that I’m clean. Super clean. I clean repeatedly all day. I wash myself in the morning… in the afternoon… in the evening. I call it “clean” while my owners are mumbling something about psychogenic alopecia. Apparently, it’s some type of grooming disorder in cats.
The obsessive compulsive behavior manifests itself in continual grooming. I wouldn’t categorize myself as a problem cat (and I doubt my owners would either). I’m not losing fur at all and it’s definitely not like I’m cleaning ALL the time. I like to be clean and I’m sure my owners are keeping an eye on the issue.
Well… that’s about it for now. What do you think? I have time to dictate auto-biographies all day? Back to the cat tree hut I go… I think there’s catnip in there somewhere. I can’t quite figure out where though. Maybe one of new friends is hanging out at the tree and we can tease my brother Paws.
