Pearl the Pocket Persian

What the...!?

I work with cats.  Lots of cats.  I have worked with cats 5 days a week for the past 4 years...but I love coming home to MY cats!  They are the best.  They truly are.


Every day when I come home from work and open the front door, Pearl is right there.  Cam says that around 4:30pm she gets up from her nap and waits for me.  You would think I would be sick of cats, but when I walk in and see her I can't help but squeal "She's so cute!"!




I'm glad we gave Pearl a "second chance".  It's hard to say what her life was like before us, but when we first got her she would eat like there was no tomorrow and pretty much just do her own thing.  Even though it blows my mind, I think she was living on the streets hustling for food.  She liked us, but she preferred her independence.  At bedtime Slim and Stan would snuggle under the covers, and Blue would assume his spot on the pillow by my head, but Pearl would be nowhere to be found.  We wanted to make a mock video of Kurt Cobain's song "Where did you sleep last night" because we could never find her.  Now she enjoys being a part of the family and even started sleeping with us at the foot of the bed. Occasionally she'll cozy up under the covers!

Pearl's a great cat!  She's a typical persian who's easy going and aloof, but she's so much fun!  She tolerates her weekly tubby time, is a trooper about being dressed up in clothes, and even takes bike rides with us to grab a pint at the bar.  Pearl don't care! She needs help eating, needs help grooming (thanks Blue!), and doesn't cover her poop but we love her.  She's the perfect addition to our weird little clan and I'm impressed with how well they all get along.   It was hard at first (see earlier ringworm post), but she was worth it.  She is worth  it.  All creatures deserve the chance to be pampered and loved, and in return they make us SMILE and realize that even though we weren't the ones rescued, we are the lucky ones.

P.S.  Pearl has an instagram account.  You should follow her at pearl_the_pocket_persian  She's not a professional photographer but her dad is...so sometimes you get a decent picture!

pretty girl

Size Comparison!!!

Pearl don't care.

cleaned up and purrrty

Chillin' at the bar

Tubby Time

Where to next?

Dirty Girl Pearl

Gained a pound since we adopted her!

Soldier in her pocket!

Trimming down!

TBT to when we first brought her home.  Ringworm and all..

Pearl the Persian

I've been working in the Cattery at the Oregon Humane Society for just under 4 years - and I've seen a LOT of cats.  Big ones, small ones, fat ones, skinny ones, cute ones and ugly ones.  But I'd never seen any thing like Pearl the Persian before!  She came to us as a transfer from another shelter, and naturally everyone was super excited that we were getting a fancy Persian!  I've never been a fan of the siamese or persian kitties so I just went about my day and didn't join in the fuss.

When the transfer arrived everyone was looking in the Persians carrier (her name was Dumpling!) but I just sat at the computer typing up some paperwork.  Finally a coworker said "Melissa, look at this!" and handed me one of the cutest things I've ever seen.   Dumpling was a full grown, 2 year old cat that weighed in at 4lbs!  She had been found as a stray severely matted and covered in fleas, so not only was she tiny and grumpy looking but she was shaved and had a lion cut! And she was being sooooo nice, purring and being so sweet                                                            that my eyes welled up with tears.  

The pictures of this cat don't do her justice...you HAVE to see her in real life to fully understand what she is!  I sent a picture of her to my husband Cameron and he was cracking up, but I just had to show her him in real life. Lucky for everyone she needed foster for a week so she came home with us, and after a day we knew we weren't bringing her back. Within 2 hours of bringing her home Cam had set up all of his camera equipment and did a photo shoot with her.  Check out his blog: Cat and Gremlin Photography

It's not easy picking out a name for a critter, especially not for us!  I mean, we have an Italian Greyhound named Slim, a blue cat named Blue, and hen named Baby Bird.  After tossing a couple ideas around, the obvious ones just weren't sticking (Gizmo, Smalls, Biggie).  Cam called her a blue oyster the first night, and as we were watching TV I heard the word "oyster" and thought of the name Pearl.  It was purrrrr-fect for her, She looks roughed up on the outside, but she's a sweet little treasure.  The official dictionary definition is "a precious thing; the finest example of something". 

Ultimately it was Slim, Stan and Blue who had the final say on adding her to the family, and they think she's pretty rad too!  We don't think that Slim has ever seen anything smaller than him so she's been an ego boost for him and he's been a great big brother by sharing the fireplace warmth with her!

Holiday Card and Outtakes

Every year for the holidays my photographer husband comes up with a creative way to include the entire family in our Christmas card.  Since our newest addition to the "Smith Farm" is our kitty that we fostered, then adopted, he became this years highlight!  When we first brought Blue home his name was Wren, but it just wasn't sticking.  "Blue" is such a great name because we get to use it so many ways!  "You're my boy, Blue!" (for those who don't know it's from the movie Old School) or "Big Blue" because we are avid NYG fans and he happens to be big...and blue!  And now "We're having a BLUE Christmas without you" (c'mon everyone knows Elvis)! 

Another FOSTER FAIL

Stan and Blue

And this time I mean "Foster Fail" in a good way!  We officially adopted our foster 'Big Blue', formerly known as Wren on August 27th!  We considered keeping Xen too but unfortunately he didn't know how to use his potty box :(  I've been in contact with his new owner and she said that things are going well and she doesn't mind his accidents (well if it were up to me I would call them his "intentionals"!).

Blue fits in so well here with us.  We didn't realize how much we've missed having a feline friend in the house!  He loves being near us and enjoys being pet and loved.  He watches TV with us on the back of the couch, and when it's time for bed he runs into the bedroom before we get there and sleeps in his basket beneath the window.  Lately he's been skipping the basket part and just sleeping right on my pillow with me.  He just got a beautiful new cat tree from a local artist at The Royal Meow that he climbs up and he loves playing with string.  He's extremely talkative and handsome, and every day he makes me laugh.  I am so happy that our home is his forever home!

His fancy tree from The Royal Meow