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| Name: |
Tinsley
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Age: |
Six years old
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| Gender: |
Male
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Kind: |
American Short-Hair
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| Home: |
Texas, USA
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Tinsley
is the "coolest" cat we've ever had the privilege to own. When
my husband got him from the SPCA the woman told him, "We have this one
cat who is the coolest thing I've ever seen. He is so calm, he chills."
(He's named after the oh-so-cool violinist Boyd Tinsley in The Dave
Matthews Band.) There doesn't seem to be a creature that bothers
Tinsley. He acts more like a dog than the two dachshunds he lives with,
he comes out from hiding to lay in the middle of a two-year-old's birthday
party, and he's hunted and caught mice, rats, birds, geckos, and
spiders. We even saw him jump up, slap his paws together, and kill a
wasp in mid-air. Our family doesn't need pest control - we've got
Tinsley!
Physical Tinsley is very unique. At age two (when we got him) he appeared
to be a kitten; he wasn't malnourished just small, thin, and nimble. The
oddest part, noticed by SPCA and us immediately, is that his tail is
about two inches "too" long which makes it hang in a hook and flip back
and forth even when the rest of his tail is still. Now at age six, he
still looks like a young cat to most other people but he seems fat to
us! He's really grown accustomed to domestic life after years of being a
stray and the four years showing off his hunting skills to us.
One of the best things about Tinsley is that he's a "Story Cat". He
started this all on his own. I read to each of my two kids each night
before bed. We'd sit in their bed and I'd begin to read and it never
fails within a page or two...here comes Tinsley. He usually stays near
the base of the bed or to my side (otherwise the kids get too
distracted) and listens. When the stories over, he shoots out of there -
unless it's my daughter's room, then he tries to hide in her dollhouse
living room hoping I won't notice!
For many years he liked to go out for "nightly walks". We never knew
where he went but he returned an hour or two later, meowing to get in.
But, one too many late nights he didn't come home and I think he's put
his wild nights behind him. The longest he survived out on his own was seven
days. He was grounded for two months after that. But then he was "out" the
night of a bad storm with tornados and flooding. We thought for sure
he'd finally lost all his lives, but he came back the next day a bit
dirty but ok. He must have learned his lesson because now we can't get
him to go out the door!
Now Tinsley spends his days sleeping... beside the dogs... in the tub...
between my keyboard and my monitor... on the bookshelf... on the stairs...
on dirty clothes (just like the dogs)... inside shoes boxes and clear
plastic tubs. He spends his evenings picking on our youngest dog (seven
year-old, twelve pound long-hair miniature dachshund) by sneaking up on him
in his sleep and walloping him on his head with his paw so loud you can
hear it in the other room (no claws, honest!). This dog and Tinsley are
such "siblings". They sleep so close to one another that they
practically snuggle then one of them up and decides to bark or smack the
other and off they go chasing, hissing, and barking - all in fun.
Neither has ever left a physical mark. They seem to just be bored, like
human siblings, and find fighting a way to pass the time.
Finally, Tinsley's the most special cat because he's mine and the
feeling is mutual. When I'm out of town, my husband says he never sees
Tinsley and he certainly doesn't sleep in our bed like he does when I'm
home. If I need to sleep on the couch or in another room because
someone's sick, Tinsley follows me.
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