The Calvin and Pangur Web page
No, that isn't a two headed mutant kitty. That's Pangur (all black) and Calvin (black and white), my two kittens doing the vampire thing. I got them on January 14th, 1999 from the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. Pangur was released by his previous owners (SNARL!) and Calvin was a stray found near Alvernon and Speedway in Tucson. They are both sweet natured animals who love to romp and play but always have time for that owner-pleasing snuggle.
Calvin is a shy but very sweet natured fella. When I first got him, he was quite sick with Feline Upper Respiratory Infection, but that seems to be all gone. He always takes his pills without complaint. He's a little afraid of strangers. His favorite spot is on his kitty skyscraper, or on the pillow next to me. His favorite game is pounce (on Pangur, on my toes at 2AM, on his furry mouse, on a role of toilet paper, on a light beam, etc.) He doesn't often seek out cuddles, but when he does it's all or nothing! I think Calvin may have been weaned too young: when he is particularly enjoying a stroking session, he likes to suckle on your fingers (and nothing else other than your fingers will do). I'm working on breaking him of that little habit, but he hasn't got it yet. Calvin is about 7 months old (as of Feb 1999). His name is the one he was given by the Humane Society; I thought it suited him.
In the picture above, Calvin is about 6 mo old; he has grown a lot since then and is now a stocky but pretty cat. I'm especially fond of the way his front legs are different colours.
Calvin is now almost full grown (see links below for more recent pictures), although he still has a kittenish bod. He, like all good teenagers, is currently spurning parental affection (except of course when Pangur isn't watching, in which case, cuddles are ok.) He has developed the new habit of demanding the milk at the bottom of my cereal bowl, which of course, I can't deny him! Spoiled? Never!
Calvin's a big boy now, although still the smaller of my two cats. Certainly the smallest cat a Carnie has ever owned. :) He went through a period of being scared of everything, but he seems to have come out of that now. Now he even sits on my lap for extended periods for love and affection. He occasionally gets beaten up by his much bigger brother, but I've seen him give Pangur a swipe or two. Calvin's current favorite thing to do is to sit and look out the back patio window at the birds flying by. It's a sunny spot, even for Arizona, and he loves it. He still sits on the dining room table and steals food from my plate -- much to my mother's disapproval!
Well, my little boys are still very well loved. Unfortunately they don't love each other any more. A few years ago, I took Calvin to the vet for some dentistry, I brought him home and he smelled of the the anesthetic, Pangur instantly rejected him and attacked him and now Calvin is terrified of Pangur. I've had to keep the boys apart now for the past few years. They are both still fun, cuddly cats. But I do have to keep them apart! Anyone out there a cat psychologist? I've tried everything!
Pangur is 6 months old (Feb 99) and is certainly the more aggressive and vocal of the two. He is also the more affectionate and demanding of attention. Pangur's favorite spot is anywhere I am. He loves to talk and to bat at the mouse pointer on the screen of my computer. He'll eat anything it seems! Pangur is almost entirely black with a few stray white hairs here and there. His eyes are yellow. Despite this I think he's part siamese: He has the oriental face (long pointed nose, big ears), svelt bod and an extremely long tail. Pangur's evil first owners called him Squie. Talk about undignified! Pangur Ban was the name given by a 6th century monk to his all white cat. The 6-8th century poem (in old Irish) about Pangur Ban and its translation can be found here. I think Pangur is a very dignified name. My Pangur is all black, so he is Pangur Dubh.
Pangur is a big boy now, he definitely likes to snack on his daily dose of pumpkin. Whenever the fridge is opened he's in there. Ping Pong (as my sister nicknamed him), has developed the habit of marking anything resembling cardboard with his little toothmarks. Despite this bad behavior, he really is a sweet cat; loves his scratches and thinks new people are very fascinating.
Ok. Pangur is even bigger now. He's a real sweetheart when it comes to me, he spends every evening sitting between my knees on my recliner, and loves to snuggle in under the covers. However, he's a bit too aggressive with Calvin, and has developed the bad habit of waking me up every morning at 8AM for food, even though they have food sitting out all the time. Dummy!
