Stanley

This is our cat named Stanley. We didn't name him that, it was his name when we adopted him, but it sure has stuck, and he really has grown into his name. We got him just a few months after Shara and I got married. Shara found him online at this place called Pet Samaritan, and fell in love with him. It took a little convincing on my part, but we ended up getting him fairly quick. He was only about 9 weeks old when we got him. What I liked about him right off the bat was his striped tail, and that he was a boy. A portion of the criteria for getting a cat for me was that he had to be "tough" looking and have a "tough" name. Stanley isn't the toughest name you'll ever hear - definitely not as tough as Rambo, or Killer. However, that striped tail made up for it. He has really become a huge part of our lives. When we lived in our condo in Salt Lake we made him sleep in the laundry room because he had a lot of energy at night and would keep us awake while he ran around all night knocking things over. We would have to listen to him meow and whine for a good two hours every night in that laundry room before he would realize he wasn't coming out until morning. He's really grown up since then.

His first move to St. George was a little traumatic for him. That 4 hour car ride to St. George was a little much for him; having to deal with new surroundings and such, but I was glad to have a road trip buddy since Shara had made the move to St. George before me. He meowed the whole way. We now have moved back up to Salt Lake and he has really showed his true character here by experiencing the great outdoors.

We've had this little guy for over 2 years now, and he's already turned 2 (I think) which according to some pet websites he is about 20-24 years old in human years. (We are glad he's past the "rebellious teenage" stage, it was rough.)

Some other interesting points in Stanley's life with us:

• Stanley loves LAZER PENS. I've worn out the battery with him. The first night I got it he chased that thing for a solid hour without stopping. I'd never seen a cat pant the way dogs do, with the tongue hanging out and everything, until that night.
• During Stanley's first Christmas dealing with a Christmas tree, we would come home to find him sitting IN the tree with all of the ornaments spread out over the floor. Heaven only knows how long that took after we left, and what it looked like while it actually happened. (That tree was thrown away, completely destroyed by him.)
• Stanley was de-clawed and "de-balled" (as I liked to call it) within about 2-3 weeks of each other. He was pretty mad with us after that. When we brought him out of his box after one of his surgeries he was still a little tipsy from the feline anesthesia, and walked straight in the wall and fell over. When he got de-clawed he had to wear these red bandages, and it looked like he was wearing red boxing gloves the entire week.
• Stanley loves to attack both Shara's and mine's feet, whether dangling off the bed, or walking around a corner. He will quickly bite them and them bounce away like, "Ha! If I'm fast enough they'll never know it was ME!!"
• Being introduced to the outdoors has made him the most muscular cat I have ever seen. Part of this comes from all the running he does from cars and other cats, but it also comes from my Father-in-law Wayne feeding him a small plate full of turkey strips daily. (Sometimes twice in a day) Since then Stanley has completely forgot about us and now attends to them much more, and is much more well behaved, all because of the Turkey strips.
• Before the turkey feedings, Stanley would crawl under our sheets and blankets in our bed and sleep in between me and Shara nightly. He would stay under there the entire night without regard to us changing positions throughout the night and rolling on top of him. He would just bite us, and then WE would have to move.

If you own a cat you know there are countless stories, which I could go on and on about. Which trust me as they happen I will.