Tag: Cats of University Heights

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 23, 20256:43 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Rusty

We leap past the backlog to a shorthair seen today along Georgia Street approaching North Park but well within the neighborhood boundary. The ginger scooted across a lawn onto the sidewalk and under a vehicle. I was able to kneel down and capture the Featured Image, using Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

All week, I toyed with buying Z Fold 7, for which Samsung offers an amazingly generous preorder deal that is absolutely irresistible. The foldable is sleek and appealing. But the Ultra’s bigger battery, reduced-glare screen, and superior cameras are benefits I am reluctant to give up. I could not have captured this single shot with any of the other phone’s cameras. Well, I still have another day to decide (I think).

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 11, 20259:35 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Plump

Unquestionably, this balcony catio is the best that I have seen in the neighborhood—well, so far. I nearly missed the Calico, as my wife and I walked by on May 18, 2025. Location withheld.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 40, 1/125 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 10:17 a.m. PDT. For nickname: Plump, which I hope offends no one—least of all the owner. Our Neko is a bit rotund, too, so I understand putty-tats with big appetites.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 6, 20258:57 pm

The Cats of University Height: Spaz

I hope you really like cats. The backlog is enormous, and this is the first addition since March 2025. Yikes! So feline frenzy will overwhelm this website for a little while, starting with Spaz—and that’s a real name!

Spaz and owner lived on Alabama when I took the Featured Image on May 31; they have since gone elsewhere. The longhair is the one-hundred-sixth kitty seen along the street, somewhere between boundaries Adams and Lincoln, since the series start in October 2016; that’s out of 607 profiles, including this one.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 28, 20257:14 pm

The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Tempest

We briefly interrupt the backlog to present a valiant orange seen today. Annie spotted the shorthair on a property at Lincoln and Louisiana, which is inches outside the neighborhood’s official boundary. Hence, the honorary designation.

There was a second tabby, this one grey, and they chased one another about. The other disappeared into shrubs, then the space between buildings to the alley behind. The orange followed, moving with the suddenness of a summer storm—that explains choice of nickname Tempest.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 12, 20259:36 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Cowbell

I warned you, held back, and now release the torrent of kitties to clear out the backlog of the photographed but unpublished. So don’t be too surprised if this place feels like a cat colony for a while.

We reach back to Feb. 5, 2024 to present a shorthair seen in the yard of a house near where Lincoln and Vermont streets meet. The Featured Image marks where my wife and I first saw the, ah, security guard putty-tat. In the companion shot, he approaches us, but we never connected. While wanting pats from us, the friendly feline couldn’t cross over the decorative and protective hedge.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 11, 202510:01 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Brisk

I don’t recall why some kitties have been ignored. I think that I thought this shorthair might be Cuddles, as they were seen about a block or so apart. But on closer examination, they are distinctly different.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra on Nov. 5, 2023. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/1000 sec, 10: 44 a.m. PDT. Nickname: Brisk.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 9, 20259:15 pm

The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Kello

I detest Daylight Saving Time and the turning of clocks forward one hour in the Spring. Today, PDT resumes, and I would prefer Standard Time all year long. The naturally occurring daylight cycle better aligns with my Circadian rhythm—and yours, too.

That introduction means to prepare you for this fine feline’s nickname: Kello, which is Finnish for clock. I saw the kitty today, while walking with my wife along Texas Street in North Park. Being beyond the neighborhood boundary, Kello joins the esteemed group of honorarians—35 in all.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 3, 202510:12 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Sage

The march through the backlog of unpublished putty-tats continues; this one is from June 28, 2023. I have seen the kitty many times since then—yes, recently—but have yet to get a portrait better than this shot. When better is pretty bad, what does that say, huh?

I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to capture the Featured Image. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/800 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 5:05 p.m. Nicknamed for the partial name of the flowers, Sage likes to sunbathe most afternoons.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 28, 20259:45 pm

The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Mystic

At long last, we blast through the big backlog of unpublished kitties, starting with a tabby taken on Oct. 21, 2023, using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The shorthair appeared in a driveway along Meade about a block beyond the neighborhood boundary. Hence, the honorary designation.

This fine feline is also the thirty-fourth member of the esteemed group of honorarians, joining: AI, Boo, Buddies, Charmer, Chill, Coal, Comber, Cotton, Envy, Esther, Fancy, Floofy, Guapo, Liberty, Lonesome, Jade, Mona, Moophie, Mousy, Ninja, Oliver, Too, Promise, Queenie, Pussyfoot, Rascal, Raven, Sammy, Shakey, Tag and Tig, Timber, Tom and Jerry, and Tula.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 23, 20258:22 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Mango Cat

While walking along Meade Avenue, on Jan. 20, 2025, I turned to see what was the movement behind a fence. A (possibly senior) cat sat grooming. I pulled out Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and put the 10x zoom capabilities to work.

Vitals, for the Featured Image: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/800 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 1:49 p.m. PST. Real name: Mango Cat. I love it. We visited briefly, then off he departed.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 8, 20259:16 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Tip and Tap

We break from the back of the queue to nearly the front. My wife and I passed this apparent bonded pair while walking home from Pizza Hut, Dec. 23, 2024. We fetched our Christmas pie a day earlier than we typically do. You want holiday ham? Fine. We’re Super Supreme lovers, without the black olives.

These two live just inside the neighborhood boundary (North Park starts on the next block). I used Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to capture the Featured Image. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 50, 1/120 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 12:49 p.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 5, 20259:24 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Blush

I warned you. A deluge of furballs is arriving, as we clear out the massive backlog of unpublished putty-tats. This frightened ginger is frequently seen in the same yard as Topcat. I don’t know if they’re residents or community cats who are fed and loved.

Similarly, I held back the feline, hoping to see the owner and ask for the real name. Well, that hasn’t happened, and the time for waiting longer ends today. I choose nickname Blush, for demeanor.