Murphy the Cat

[kybearfuzz]

My tomcat Murphy
This is my 16 lb tomcat Murphy. About three years ago, I adopted him from a co-worker who was moving into a new condo and didn't want to take him with her. She told me she had an adult orange-striped female. When she brought him over I was surprised how big this "female" cat was only to learn that it was a male. She wasn't trying to pull one over on me, but she had originally thought it was a female when she got him and didn't realize it was a boy until she took the kitten to get fixed. At that point, he had a female name and his former owner referred to him as a "she." Naturally, I would get the cat with gender-identity issues.

Murphy is my "dog," as he is large enough I can play a bit rough with him without worrying about hurting him. He's a good one, always ready to play or to annoy me. I've always enjoyed having cats as pets and my friends always send me cat jokes.

Cat Quotes

Cat: One hell of a nice animal...frequently mistaken for a meatloaf.
-- Unknown

Cats don't caress us - they caress themselves on us.
-- Rivarol

Dogs come when they are called; cats take a message and get back to you.
-- Missy Dizizk and Mary Bly.

A sleeping cat is ever alert.
-- Fred Scwab.

There's no dealing with a cat who knows you're awake.
-- Brad Solomon

Ignorant people think it's the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it's the sickening grammar they use.
-- Mark Twain

It is impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more kittens.
-- Cynthia E. Varnado.

A kitten is so flexible that she is almost double; the hind parts are equivalent to another kitten with which the foreparts play. She does not discover that her tail belongs to her unless you tread on it.
-- Henry David Thoreau.

God made the cat that man might have the pleasure of caressing the tiger.
-- Ferdinand Mery.

You can't look at a sleeping cat and be tense.
-- Jane Pauley.

If a cat loves you, it's for real. A cat never pretended to like anyone.
-- Anne Borris

The real objection to the great majority of cats is their insufferable air of superiority.
-- P.G.Wodehouse

Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good manyailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.
-- Joseph Wood Krutch.

Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.
-- Joseph Wood Krutch

Cats always know whether people like or dislike them. They do not always care enough to do anything about it.
-- Winifred Carriere

Although all cat games have their rules and ritual, these vary with the individual player. The cat, of course, never breaks a rule. If it does not follow precedent, that simply means it has created a new rule and it is up to you to learn it quickly if you want the game to continue.
-- Sidney Denham

It is as easy to hold quicksilver between your finger and thumb as to keep a cat who means to escape.
-- Andrew Lang.

If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man but deteriorate the cat.
-- Mark Twain.

Comments

[shimbexprovides.livejournal.com]

Awwwww! *melts*

[mat-t.livejournal.com]

I remember Murphy being soooooo frustrated at being locked out of the spare bedroom (which I recognize from the pic) since we'd locked it to keep him out of my luggage *g*

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

LOL.. Murphy has that effect on people. He's a lovable teddy bear.

[queensheba.livejournal.com]

Murphy looks a lot like Wolfgang, my orange male cat. I think Murphy is a good bit bigger, though. Wolfgang seems average-sized to me. He also has a very nice disposition. I've heard people say that orange male cats tend to have easygoing personalities, and it seems to be true, in my experience.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I wish he wouldn't sleep on the spare bed, but he seems to like the afternoon sun that comes into that room. He prefers to have all access to the house though. Maggie could care less.

[cincycub.livejournal.com]

How could she not know that her cat was a boy? OMG....haha.

[mikiedoggie.livejournal.com]

That is a very cute picture of Murphy. He's just a lovely cat.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I have found that to be true also. I had an orange striped cat when I was a kid and he was a great pet, very loving with a good disposition.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

It's true I think. They burn up so much energy in their momentary freakouts that they have to recharge often. :)

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I think they told her that Murphy was a girl and she just took it on faith and never "looked"....

Whenever my coworker sees me in the hallway at work, she asks about "her".. and I remind her that Murphy is all male (well at least he was) :)

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I thought the light made his fur glow a bit and he was so willing to sit there and let me take his pic... :)

[bookish-cub.livejournal.com]

What a handsome kitty you have!

Speaking of animals with gender-identification problems, my mother adopted a miniature collie a few years ago who was unimaginatively named "Lassie" despite the fact that he's a male. I always try to refer to him as "Las."

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

LOL.. well, I can understand that the name is very popular with the breed.

.. and Murphy was named because a) his orange fur made me think of an Irishman, and b) Murphy's Irish Stout is my favorite beer. :D

[kay-bee17.livejournal.com]

That is an awesome picture.. I love cats!!! (I have about 14 at the moment). And I love taking pictures of them.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Fourteen!!!? That's a lot of kitty cats!

And I was reading in your journal that you got accepted to Berea, congratulations!!! I hope you get your first work assignment at Hutchins Library, I worked there for three years and it's a great place to work.

[kay-bee17.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I love libraries...and books. I'm reading Wutherin Heights right now for AP English.

I would like to work in the library, but I also want to do something related to my career. I want to open a craft supply store. (but I think I.. Oh never mind, differnt person, different comment)

Not thinking straight tonight, my boyfriend won't get on msn so we can talk, and I'm trying not to be mad about it...

[truebrixon.livejournal.com]

I think Murphy's twin lives here in my house. My roommate has a very similar cat in coloring and size named J.B. He likes to headbutt to get attention. He also gets very jumpy after playing with the occasional catnip mouse. Also, another cat quote straight from the cat's mouth as it were...

"New and improved? Is it really?...Interesting...I'm going outside...Keys?"
--Eddie Izzard

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

LOL... they sound very much alike. Murphy is a real brat in the morning. If I don't pay him any attention, he goes to the bookshelf and starts pawing at things, pulling them out onto the floor.

[bookish-cub.livejournal.com]

Hmm...I know a few people who have named their pets after brands of alcohol.