Dogs of the North The Pack Leah

Leah and her brother, Sisko, were born on February 6, 2000, in the "foster home" of a volunteer with the Humane Society of Ottawa-Carleton. Here, they received veterinary care, shelter, good food, and essential human interaction in preparation for their adoption into their new family. While we don't know the name of the person or persons who opened their home to our kittens' pregnant mother, we are grateful for the good care, healthy environment, and obvious socialization that Sisko and Leah received. We know that the love and attention provided by their foster home volunteer(s) in the first weeks of their lives contributed greatly to the happy, friendly companions our kittens have become.

Leah is a very tiny kitty who loves to act like an independent woman. We suspect that she is very much aware of her special status as an "only girl" kitty in a household of boy cats. She gets along well with the other cats in the house, but makes it clear that she marches to her own drum, and operates by an agenda set by her alone.

Leah is a friendly kitty. Although she hates to be picked up, she loves affection. She will sashay up to you and meow to be petted or to have her back or head scratched. Then, rubbing against your ankles, she'll demand your full attention while she "talks" to you in little chirps and meows. Leah has a special ritual of doing this as soon as you get into "her" bed at night. It is almost as if she is giving her daily report. When you speak back to her, she will tilt her head at a 90 degree angle and look at you with the biggest eyes held open as wide as they can go. The expression on her face is almost comically serious, although she is clearly a happy girl whose purr is loud and constant.

Leah is a serious hunter. The mysterious creatures that move around under the bed clothes are special prey If you move your hand or foot beneath the covers, she will execute her little "micro-pounce" which is about the cutest thing we've ever seen a cat do. She is incredibly focused when she is hunting, and will not be distracted from her task. Bugs, flies, pieces of string, cat teasers and cat dancers, another cat's tail (not always appreciated by the tail's owner!) are all the objects of Leah's hunting expeditions. She has never seen a mouse, but I suspect that she would be a very good mouser. She has a mouser's build, low to the ground and stocky, and she is FAST.

While Leah enjoys all the usual cat toys, she is especially drawn to a computer game designed for cats called Cyber Pounce. Cyber Pounce animates cartoon images and other graphics about the screen while noises of birds and bugs and other interesting things sound in the background. Leah will sit on Duffy's lap in front of the monitor and bat at the images she sees. Once she even stalked an image of a mouse by hiding beside the monitor and peering around the front when the mouse came in view.

We often marvel that two kitties of the same litter, raised by the same people in the same places can have personalities that are so different. The differences are more ironic in that Sisko and Leah look so much alike, one being the spitting image of the other. While the development of their unique selves remains a mystery, we are certain of one thing: We're glad that both of them ended up with us.

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