nénu and oscar, our beloved orientals (2014-2017)

Nénu (left) and Oscar (right) are two years old now, which means they're officially adult cats. But oriental shorthairs remain lively, social, and playful all their lives, so they're never going to get independent or aloof. =smile=

They're champion jumpers. They love leaping onto high perches—our shoulders, tops of doors, even the parabolic reflector on the ceiling of our music-listening room. (It's a curvy tunnel for improving sound that my husband made when he had a bout of audio tech fever.)

Nénu is a bigtime sweetheart—very empathic, attuned to our needs. If one of us is distressed for any reason, she immediately comes running, with eyes that broadcast "How can I help?"

Oscar is sweet, too, but also mischievous. He's not exactly destructive, but he likes to play "the gravity game"—knocking objects off horizontal surfaces with his paws—so we have to be careful about what we leave sitting around. And he's very much a collage artist's cat: he adores paper and cardboard—scrunched-up paper balls (for batting around the floor and playing fetch), cardboard strips, boxes, you name it.

Yet he doesn't interfere with my supplies. He appears to think my collage studio is entirely devoted to the creation of cat toys, but he sits patiently on my work table, fascinated by the scissors, glue, etc., and waits for me to make the toys and give them to him. To my surprise, he has not once torn nor run off with a piece I need, or might need, for a collage. Nor does he ever bother books. Nénu and Oscar both are so rambunctious, they create a lot of chaos, but they respect our possessions; they know exactly what's ours and what's theirs.

The most remarkable thing about Oscar and Nénu, compared to our previous pairs of orientals, is that they're not just littermates, but close friends. Our breeder tells us their friendship began when they were very small. They love each other so much, they are nearly always together. They always sleep in physical contact with each other. Their bond is delightful to observe.

About their names:
—Nénu ("nay-noo") is short for "nénuphar," the French word for water lily
—Oscar is named for Oscar Wilde, my first choice of a historical figure I'd like to have a conversation with. (The best way to get to know him is Richard Ellmann's biography.)

If you'd like to learn more about orientals, check out the website for Kattalyst Kattery (Julie and Roy Keyer), where Oscar and Nénu came from. (Annabel Lee and Edgar Poe, our previous pair, were also from Kattalyst.) Or just cut to the chase and watch the short video (my favorite item on the site) at the bottom of this page. You have to see these cats in motion to really appreciate them!