Tag: Cats of University Heights

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 2, 20229:26 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Coy

The backlog of unpublished kitties trails by more than four months. The oldest aren’t so much in a queue of many as one of waiting—as I hope to meet owners and obtain real names. Time comes to move along the stragglers, starting with this tabby who is most frustrating; I know his (or her) housemate, Shy, and really wanted correct identification. I see both beasties sunning in the same spot, but never together.

Shy joined the series in February 2019, and, yes, still lives in the apartment. Maybe the roomie is a pandemic putty; lots of adoptions occurred during the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 lockdowns. Nearby, Honey Bunny may still be resident in the same complex. But, in January 2021, Veruca and her family moved from the house next door.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 28, 20229:00 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Dagger Tooth

Nearly eight-year-old Dagger Tooth—the eighty-eighth putty-tat to appear in the series from Alabama Street, between boundaries Adams and Lincoln—is housemate to Dragon Claws, who was profiled nearly three months ago. She lost one eye to melanoma, but her owner says she manages well, which I can confirm from watching her romp about today.

Dagger Tooth jumps to the front of the backlog queue, which indulges her but how could I not when her brother so recently joined the series? She’s special: Local coffee shop Mystic Mocha recently named her cat of the month.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 26, 20229:20 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Scooter

For so long I considered adding this ginger to the series that a look over all 475 profiles was necessary to ensure no forgotten previous appearance. The Wilcox family moved to San Diego on Oct. 15, 2007. The Featured Image, captured using Nokia N95, is from several weeks later: November 7. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 125, 1/17 sec, 5.6mm; 6:03 p.m. PST.

This rascal would scamper across rooftops of nearby buildings, and he peers down from one in this portrait. He is one of the few felines whose photo was taken before the series’ start on Oct. 16, 2016. The others: Blue, Farfisa, Hunter, Spot, and Woo. I saw the middle three once only but the first and last often enough.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 21, 20229:18 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Oreo

We go back inside for the eighty-eighth feline found behind door or window. I have seen this one once only, on Feb. 3, 2022. The Featured Image comes from iPhone 13 Pro. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 32, 1/1783 sec, 77mm; 9:58 a.m. PDT.

Symmetry is all wrong, which reflections off glass and greenery to the left make messier. Black-and-white conversion diminishes some of the clutter distraction and draws more attention to the kitty, who earns nickname Oreo for colors like the cream-filled cookie.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 14, 20228:28 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Kuro

Along the same stretch of Louisiana Street, seemingly several skinny blacks are outdoor roamers—and distance identification can be tricky. Do I see the same shorthair visiting separate cottage complexes or are there two different animals? That’s the question, quite possibly unanswerable, as the first joins the series.

I used iPhone 13 Pro to capture the Featured Image on Jan. 17, 2022. Yep, a backlog of unpublished putty-tats is in the queue. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 50, 1/122 sec, 77mm; 2:01 p.m. PST. Let’s nickname this fine feline Kuro, which is Japanese for black.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 9, 20228:20 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Rosie, Too

The series‘ second Rosie is, whoa, twenty years old. My wife and I met her owner about three weeks after I captured the Featured Image on March 5, 2022, using iPhone 13 Pro. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 32, 1/122 sec, 77mm; 1:41 p.m. PST.

The calico lives on the same block as Harvey and Romper. Current and planned construction of massive multi-unit residences makes the street rather unpleasant living for animals and humans. I am surprised to see any furballs at all, if for no other reason than the relentless racket.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 3, 202212:02 am

The Cats of University Heights: Leo, Too

The series‘ second Leo is housemate to Wilbur, whom we met yesterday. I have only seen the ginger once, on Jan. 31, 2022, and continue efforts to clear up a surprising backlog of photographed but not yet published kitties.

About 52 percent of San Diego’s housed residents rent, and with monthly rates rising there has been tremendous turnover during the past 12 months—spurred in part by Silicon Valley tech employees relocating now that they can work at home. You can either blame or credit SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates for the migration—also explanation for fresh cat sightings.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 2, 20229:25 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Wilbur

We celebrate the first Caturday of the month by starting a double-header: Wilbur today and his housemate Leo tomorrow. My wife and I encountered the pair on Jan. 31, 2022. I have seen the tabby in the Featured Image and three companion shots on several occasions since. Wilbur’s ginger buddy blessed us with his presence once only.

Wilbur came up to visit, and Annie read his tag. But Leo stayed distant, and I have searched since hoping to see him and get his name. That information presented unexpectedly last night. Nearly a month ago, I grudgingly returned to Nextdoor; economic uncertainty is reason enough to band together with neighbors, with whom bartering or buying may benefit us all soon. While exploring the social network’s Pets section, I identified Leo and confirmed Wilbur; both beasties share the same owner.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 30, 20229:26 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Creamy

The series‘ four-hundred-seventieth profile takes us back inside. This sweet sleeper is the eighty-seventh feline found behind door or window. I used iPhone 13 Pro to capture the Featured Image on Jan. 17, 2022. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 32, 1/2016 sec, 77mm; 12:53 p.m. PST.

For fur color and texture, this slumber-puss earns nickname Creamy.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 25, 20229:15 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Regal

To clear out the backlog of unpublished kitties, we’re bunching them up (third this week). I have held back several with collars and tags hoping to get their real names. But a time comes, when there has been no close encounter, to choose a moniker and add the beastie to the series.

This handsome tabby is one of several seen mulling about the same cottage complex along Louisiana. Those profiled so far, and there are more: Cuddles, Honcho, Saunter, and Squeaky.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 23, 202210:19 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Chicken

When the Wilcoxes moved to this neighborhood in mid-October 2007, we encountered two obvious demographics: Older couples (and some singles)—many of whom lived in the same house for decades; gay couples—women more than men (who were more commonly seen in adjacent community Hillcrest). But as the real estate market bottomed out in 2011-12, a slow change blossomed into a flash flood of families with kids of age to attend Alice Birney Elementary.

But during the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 lockdowns, when many people started working from home and therefore no longer needed to live close to their jobs, University Heights began a rapid demographic flip. Ultra-high rents and landlords selling homes along with a massive influx of Googler-types has flushed out families and many of the oldsters. The professional Millennial makeover sweeps in and sweeps others out. Among those leaving: Owners of the kitty in the Featured Image.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 22, 20229:17 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Noire

Along the same apartment complex knoll where appears Bleu, I sometime see another feline—either alone or nearby. Since the nickname for one is translated from English to French, let’s do the same with the other; Noire, which is the feminine, for black.

I assume, and possibly wrongly, that Noire is not only female but mother to the Kittens discovered in the connecting property. Resemblance is unmistakable, which doesn’t make my presumption right.