Oreo
By GardenCats

Oreo was one of four abandoned kittens found outside one of the research greenhouses at the University of Tennessee Department of Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design in the Spring of 1999. We found homes for his three siblings, but it seemed that all the potentially suitable kitty-parents were maxxed out cat-wise when it came to finding a home for him. We had just acquired two kittens from another source and were grooming them to be mousers at the UT Institute of Agriculture Gardens, and since he was about the same age and seemed to get along with them, we decided to make him a garden cat too.

Oreo and his adopted siblings, Calyx and Mabel, worked at the UTIA Gardens for about a year, carpooling with me from work to home each day. They were a great hit with visitors, following them around as they admired the plants, hopping into their laps as they sat in benches admiring the view, trotting into a group of touring school kids with mousies in their mouths. They were even featured on the local television news and in a couple of newspaper articles. They were celebrities!

Then in May, 2000, my career brought me to South Florida. I couldn't very well leave my furry kids behind, so they came with me. Now they are retired and basking in a life of luxury in Palm Beach County. (They had NOTHING to do with the recent voting fiasco, by the way.)

Oreo is a true hands-on cat who loves to be cuddled. He simply cannot get enough loving! Belly rubs, smushy-face massages and squeezing him til his eyes virtually bulge all make him indescribably happy. He also enjoys draping himself across the back of the couch with both legs on one side dangling down the back of the couch and both legs of the other side dangling down from the front, with chin and tail stretched out flat--it looks absolutely ridiculous. His favorite games are "zip around the room real fast and cause the other cats to get off the floor" and "see if I can trip Momma by dashing in front of her." He's a bit of a spaz and when I see his extra-long tail go arrow-straight and vertical, I know we're all in trouble.

Oh, and get this: He likes to take showers! Honestly, he jumps into the shower with me. Well, as you can see, Oreo is a very unique little guy. There was a very brief time when I felt I'd been "saddled" with him, but today I am SO glad we were not able to find him a suitable home and he ended up as one of my "kids."