Category: Critters

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.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 17, 20186:10 am

The Cats of University Heights: Sky

Along Lincoln Ave., near Vermont Street, a black shorthair stared out a window as I passed on April 2, 2018. The beastie is the twenty-second to appear in the series from behind a window. The beauty that I nickname Sky (can you guess why) is either the thirteenth or fourteenth Halloween cat, depending on whether or not Betty and Betty, Too are the same animals. The others: Black, Fang, Farfisa, Frenemy, Mika, Pee-Pee, Peohe, Siesta, Skull, Token, and Wink.

I captured the Featured Image using Leica M (Typ 262) and Summarit-M 1:2.4/50 lens. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/4.8, ISO 200, 1/250 sec, 50mm; 10:33 a.m. PDT. The companion photo is the uncropped original.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 16, 20186:06 am

The Cats of University Heights: STAR

This beautiful kitten earns nickname Blend for being somewhat camouflage-colored against an area in the neighborhood known as the Point. My wife and I encountered her quite unexpectedly on April 10, 2018, frolicking about and seeking attentive pats, which you can see Anne giving in the Featured Image and its companion.

We were both concerned about the calico’s interest in the canyon below. Anne and I have often joked about scaling down the hill to Wendy’s for a burger; the fast food place looks so close. There be coyotes, which wouldn’t bother us but could make a snack of our new-found friend.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 15, 20186:14 am

The Cats of University Heights: Gracie

My wife and I unexpectedly encountered two 18-year-old felines on the same afternoon, April 12, 2018. The first, Precious, lives on Alabama Street. Anne called my attention to the other, on Louisiana between Madison and Monroe; I crossed the street to capture the moment—and unexpectedly meet her owners. Her name, Gracie, comes from the Bible. Appropriately, perhaps, her owner choosing it is called Kitty.

Gracie came to her owners as a pregnant stray, who would bear four kittens. The married couple of five years (at the time) kept the momma—and from the litter one male, who later died. He was a brat, whose misbehavior led her to be somewhat shy and reclusive. But after his untimely passing, she found herself, warming greatly to her caretakers.