Category: Critters

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 7, 20182:09 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Choontzy

I really shouuld spend more time looking for alley cats—those that wander along the parallel throughways behind most buildings in the neighborhood. Had I, Choontzy, who also goes by Chootzy, surely would have joined the series sooner than this breezy Monday.

He is the first invited cat, so to speak. Last week, on the NextDoor social network, someone posted inquiring about friendly Snowshoe Willow, whose December 2017 profile I linked to in the replies. Among the responses, Choontzy’s caretaker expressed appreciation for the series and desire for him to join it. So, of course, I went on the hunt for the elder tuxedo—eighteen years old, like Gracie and Precious.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 5, 20186:09 am

The Cats of University Heights: Lucy

For Caturday, we celebrate with the second Lucy to appear in the series ( although I later learned that the first, who lives on Georgia Street, is spelled with an “i”, not “y”). My wife and I met her near-namesake on Florida, between Meade and Mission, last night. The 9-year-old beauty has a stub tail and sweet demeanor. You can’t not like her.

Lucy adopted her eventual caretaker, when the woman worked for a consignment shop. The stray came around and grew friendlier until she was transplanted from North Park business to University Heights residence—where she stayed without fuss. Lucy sticks pretty close to home, which isn’t surprising for a matronly kitty who chose her owner.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 4, 20186:01 am

The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Moophie

The neighborhood’s boundaries are clearly defined, and the chosen kitties live within them. But for the fifth instance out of the 171 profiles posted since the series started in October 2016, we make an exception. Moophie (real name) joins outliers Buddies, Chill, Envy, and Sammy.

The handsome longhiair lives on the same street where my daughter moved two months ago. I frequently see Moophie saunter across the road near the end of the block; in Hillcrest, which is adjacent to University Heights and a mere 2.3 km (1.4 miles) walk from my apartment.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 29, 20186:11 am

The Cats of University Heights: Dizzy

Nine. That’s the number of felines seen last night in the hour before sunset and not long later. Is it a Full Moon thing? There was one of two Maine Coons, which will join the series soon. Same is true of a Tuxedo, whom I may finally have gotten close enough for a usable portrait; I’ve been trying for weeks. Couple doors down there was a tabby behind a screened window. Both sightings were on Florida ,along with Wonder, who looked down from inside a residence rather than outside porch.

Over on Alabama, I passed by Burglar, Goldie, and Itchy Valentino—deciding to quietly walk by rather than to distract them. What a surprise! Tipsy crossed the road to greet me and sauntered back after being satisfied by her pats. That brings us yet to another Alabama cat—nineteenth from the street. The kitty earns nickname Dizzy for hanging out on a second floor balcony ledge.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 27, 20184:26 pm

Panda a Day…

To renew, or not to renew, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the budget to suffer the slings and arrows of haughty annual fees, or to take leave of a parade of animals—and by opposing end membership? Surely Shakespeare wouldn’t approve, but since he can’t come crying copyright infringement, well…

Our annual San Diego Zoo passes expire on April 30, and “Another year?” is question of the weekend. My wife and I trucked over to the animal refuge this morning and got great value from the hour spent walking about and looking at the beasties. But is that experience enough to warrant another year?

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 26, 20186:15 am

The Cats of University Heights: Kit (Coon)

Sunset was 7:25 p.m. PDT on April 24, 2018. Nearly 20 minutes later, what looked like a bushy-tailed black and white shorthair trotted down Florida between Meade and Monroe before scooting up some stairs to a row of apartments/condos. Two months earlier, I had seen the kitty nicknamed Mew in the same vicinity. Second-sighting? I’ll never know, because another beauty perched above and stayed steady for several portraits.

Because of fast-falling dusk, I carried Leica Q, which packs a magnificently detail-capturing, fast lens. I set aperture wide-open and shutter speedy, letting the camera auto-crank ISO for shooting along the dimly-lit street. Vitals for the Featured Image: f/1.7, ISO 16000, 1/250 sec, 28mm, 7:44 p.m. The companion, taken one minute earlier, is same except for ISO 2000. I manually focused both.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 25, 20186:26 am

The Cats of University Heights: Harley

Please meet the eighteenth Alabama Street cat to appear in the series. How can there possibly be so many? The skittish shorthair lives on the same block as Holiday, Laramie, Lupe, Precious, and Smokey. Long-time fixture Monkey recently passed away.

I know the calico’s name, but didn’t check the spelling with her owner. Fifty-fifty chance, I pick Harley over Harlie. (Editor’s Note, April 11, 2021: I happened to hear the lady calling “Harley”, interspersed with “Harlequin”. Now we know which spelling is correct.)

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 22, 20186:12 am

The Cats of University Heights: Roadie

According to Herbie, The Love Bug‘s owner, several “communal” cats live along Panorama, which circles round to Adams Ave. at both ends. Several neighbors put out food for them; the tiger tabby that I encountered on April 15, 2018 is among their members.

Herbie’s caretaker couldn’t give me a name for the female shorthair, who may have none. But she’s a long-time fixture, as are several others along a street where coyotes climb out of the canyon hunting for food (yikes, like cats). I dub this mature madam: Roadie, because she hung out between two cars and the sidewalk long enough for me to slowly approach and capture eight shots over two minutes.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 21, 20186:20 am

The Cats of University Heights: Herbie, The Love Bug

Some of the neighborhood’s felines are blessed with memorable names—such as Captain Blackbeard, Daniel Tiger, E.T. (for Exotic Tail), Itchy Valentino, Mr. Kitty, and Persepolis. For this Caturday, we celebrate with the unforgettable Herbie, The Love Bug—and, yes, that is his real name. Perhaps you’ve seen one of the Disney films featuring the charismatic car (VW Beetle) that inspires this handsome shorthair’s moniker.

I met Herbie and his owner along Panorama on April 18, 2018. She sat on doorway steps, while The Love Bug lay prone sunning. He is an indoor putty-tat who gets supervised outdoor jaunts. It’s an exercise of love: At 14, he couldn’t jump over the tasteful fence onto the sidewalk, so he is fairly safe on the lawn.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 20, 20186:06 am

The Cats of University Heights: Lucky

I can’t imagine why we have come to either the fourteenth or fifteenth black cat—depending on whether or not Betty and Betty, Too are the same animals—without one being named, or in this instance nicknamed, Lucky. The others: Black, Fang, Farfisa, Frenemy, Mika, Pee-Pee, Peohe, Siesta, Skull, Sky, Token, and Wink.

My wife and I encountered Lucky on April 11, 2018 by the same apartment complex where Blue Too and Chub hang out—and presumably live—along Campus Ave. beyond Madison approaching the overlook. I used Leica Q to capture the Featured Image at 8:41 a.m. PDT. Vitals, aperture and shutter speed manually set: f/5.6, ISO 320, 1/250 sec, 28mm.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 19, 20186:17 am

The Cats of University Heights: Aylin

What a lucky Friday the 13th find is this adorable white, which my wife spotted six days ago as we walked by Carmelita where it meets Mission Cliff. Aylin, or so her tag says, stood quietly in the grass of one house before coming out into the street to greet us.

I captured the Featured Image and companion using Leica M10 and Summarit-M 1:2.4/50 lens. Vitals for the first: f/8, ISO 100, 1/60 sec, 50mm; 9:30 a.m. PDT. The other, taken four minutes later, is same except for 1/125 sec shutter speed.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 18, 20186:31 am

The Cats of University Heights: Amble

As I walked along Georgia from Howard towards Polk, a hobbling feline approached on the sidewalk. As you can see from the Featured Image, the kitty that I nickname Amble is missing part of the front right leg. The shorthair moved behind cars, found a place to relieve itself, then continued along the wall to the sidewalk, before going up stairs to a dwelling and disappearing beneath.

I captured the moment with the iPhone X second camera, which acts like a 2x optical zoom. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 16, 1/2558 sec, 6mm; April 14, 2018, 10:43 a.m. PDT.