Above is a selection of photographs from a recent session at the Chesterfield home of “Westley,” “Ringo” and “Albert.” With that variety of cat names, each seeming to have been chosen with clear purpose, we knew there had to be interesting people and stories behind them. And Ringo, it turns out, has nothing to do with the Beatles. Below is a Q&A with one of the cats’ people, and we start with …
Wishbone Photography: How did you choose the cats’ names?
Pam C.: When I brought Westley home, my son and I had just watched “The Princess Bride” together. “The man in black” seemed like a fitting name for a longish haired black cat. Ringo took a few days to find his name, but he had a ring of light grey fur around his neck and my husband’s favorite author is John Ringo, so that was that. Albert was so named for the wooly tufts of light grey hair behind his ears; we thought they made him look like Albert Einstein.
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WP: What is special about each cat’s personality and why you love him for it?
PC: Westley is a sweet, loving, but very polite cat. He’s been my shadow, literally for years now…Westley abides by the “five foot” rule. He must be no more than five feet away from me, ever. Being on the other side of a closed door from me is cause to howl and kick up a fuss! Other than those times, though, he’s quiet and reserved.
When I wake up in the morning he’s usually sitting at the foot of my bed, and will only come up to the head of the bed for morning petting once I call him. Of all the cats in my life this is my heart kitty, and I can’t imagine not having him around; it breaks my heart just to think about it. Westley is the sweet one.
Ringo is incredibly sweet, but he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Seriously, he’s positively dumb! He once managed to get himself closed between a door and the storm door, and sat there for five hours before I heard him finally start to make some noise. Despite, or maybe because of his dimness, we love Ringo tremendously.
He has the attention span of a gnat, and everything is a toy or a game to be played as far as he’s concerned. All it takes to get him purring is to talk to him; a little petting and the purring becomes even louder, but if you rub his belly the purring is positively out of control. In addition, he has a lot of Persian in him, so he’s got a semi-squashed face. Ringo is the cute one.
Albert is the genius of the bunch; he truly lives up to his name! I’ve never met a smarter cat. He’s learned several tricks he’ll perform if he knows you have some of his favorite treats for him, including “sit” and “high five.” I get the feeling that if I were to work with Albert, he could be on one of those “amazing animals” shows or something.
He continually amazes and surprises us with his knack for figuring things out – the moment one of us talks about going to bed at night, for instance, Albert will race up the stairs and into the bedroom and hide under the dresser so that he can stay in the room all night! Albert tolerates me, but he adores my husband, and will sit in Mark’s arms and purr for a long time while being petted. Albert is the smart one.
WP: What is something each cat does that is a quirk, something funny or even slightly annoying?
PC: Ringo will fetch the plastic ring from the top of a milk jug for hours. Long past the time you’ve gotten tired of throwing it, Ringo will keep bringing it back and dropping it on your feet. Westley loves one toy and one toy only: a carpet-covered cylinder that holds catnip inside. Once he’s done playing with it, I pick it up and put it safely away: he’s had it for about 10 years now. Albert is always annoying, because he’s always figuring out ways to get what he wants!
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WP: What do your cats like to do and where in the house do they like to do it? e.g. Sit and look out the window all day, lay on the couch, play with each other, hide under the bed to get away from photographers …?
PC: Mostly, they sleep. Ringo and Albert spend their time on the cat tree in our den, and Westley hides out somewhere. Whenever we’re home, then they’re in whichever room we are, just hanging out usually.
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WP: Finish this sentence: If I didn’t have Westley, Ringo and Albert in my life, I would …
PC: …not have nearly as much joy and laughter in my life as I do. Our cats bring us so much enjoyment; they are truly our companion animals and members of our family!
WP: Thanks, Pam, for your thoughtful answers in this Q&A, and for inviting us to spend time with you, Westley, Ringo and Albert for a great photography session!
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More Wishbone Photography:
Portuguese Water Dogs | Ladue Pet Photographer
Standard Poodles | St. Louis Dog Photographer
Frannie, Shorty + Vern | Rock Hill Dog Photographer
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