When I started this blog I couldn’t decide what to name it. I had several names in mind, none of which I can remember now. I only remember that all of them were taken. I eventually settled on Crazy Cat Chris and registered it at WordPress.com.
Almost immediately I realized that I made a mistake. Chris was not a crazy cat. I think I just liked it because all the words started with C. I then choose Bad Cat Chris but the truth is, Chris is no more bad then he is crazy. The “bad” in Bad Cat Chris only refers to his behavior, not to Chris himself, and it really only refers to the human interpretation of the word “bad.” What is bad to a human is not necessarily bad to a cat. Like Shakespeare said, “there is no good or bad but thinking makes it so.”
The first several months after we adopted Chris, he kept us from getting a good night’s sleep by attacking our feet, biting our noses, treading on our bare skin and lying across our necks. BAD CAT! Indeed, the people who adopted him before us thought he was a bad cat and returned him to the shelter after one day.
Chris, November 2009
He no longer attacks feet and he has learned not to bite Rose’s nose but everything else is the same. Jumping on counters is another “bad” behavior that we were never able to correct. Nor were we able to stop him from opening cabinets and closets and getting inside. At eight years old he still tries to get out the door every chance he gets and he still scratches the furniture, but only when he knows someone is looking.
Despite his behavior, I wouldn’t want him to change because that is who Chris is. He has always been very entertaining and he makes us laugh. His bad behavior is not really bad, it’s more like naughty, and even that’s not right. He is just a non-human who is very good at not following human rules.
There is something special about Chris, more special than any other dog or cat I have ever had, and I have had some good ones. Chris is pure love. He loves me, he loves Rose he loves everyone who steps foot in our house and he is not afraid to show it. He bleeds affection. Everybody who knows Chris loves him back.
He is even affectionate to all the other cats, although he will fight with them too.
Rose worries that when we lose Chris I will be devastated and she may be right. I think about that more now that Chris will be turning eight. The last three of our cats that passed away, Abbey, Alex and Tigger, all died at eight years old. But, of course, now is not the time to be thinking such thoughts. We have a birthday coming up.
Bad Cat Chris 
Yes, Chris is one of the most unique cats I have ever had the pleasure of being mom to!
He sure is one of a kind.
Hehe, yeah, my cat can be a troubler maker too but I adapted to it too and love her as she is 😀
Today I like it to share my rooms with a furry attention seeker. It would get boring without one 🙂
I share your fear…. without looking at her papers, I think she should be 7 or 8 years old too now. Currently she is still very healthy, and I hope she will make many more years. But when I say fear, I refer to the fact that time seems to fly like crazy. I mean, where did the time go?
I got my cat when I suffered from severe depression and anxiety back then. I was selfish and believed in the healing power of pets, but of course she did profit from it too as she got a nice home. She’s one of a few different reasons why I got out of this hell. I was right, pets have healing power. She is not the single reason, but she helped a lot. She’s not just my pet, but also some kind of angel I would say.
I am afraid, when the day comes and this cat is gone, it’ll catapult me into the dark area again, at least for quite a while. Today I am probably stable enough to get back up fast, but this would take time because my cat is a family member and I would miss her a lot.
I hope she is with you for a long time. I have always wanted a parrot, partly because it would probably live as long as me but now I am older and have cats that would probably not get along with a bird.
I find birds interesting too, but as you, I think it’s not a great idea with a cat. Meanwhile I do enjoy bird photography outside, that’s cool too, and a friend has several birds that I can watch when I visit. I had a fish tank and even there my cat tried to get a decent meal lol, I had to purchase a cat safe cover for the tank. 😀
I think cats are enough. 😀
I agree with that 🙂
Chris you totally rock in any way… and you are one of my role models ;o) and BCC is a clever short for your blog… it’s like BBC just vice versa :O)))))
If he was a British Calico Cat that would be even cooler. 😀
It’s the thing I love most about cats – they are truly each one of a kind. Very different personalities and getting to know and understand them is just part of the fun of having them in our families in the first place. Chris is a big bundle of love and mischief – pretty darn good combination I say – Teddy is much the same. VERY affectionate but has that twinkle in his eye that says “you have NO idea what I’m thinking about doing!!!!!”…………..I love it. Every minute of it……….and I had Sammy for 17 years so eight is YOUNG – think of it like that – each day is a gift too.
Hugs, Pam
Each day is a gift and all of our cats add happiness to our home.
I LOVED reading about how (and why) you named the blog what you did. I know that Chris isn’t bad at all. You aren’t alone in your worry about Chris leaving (especially at such a young age)……..I had my Angel Bobo for 18 years and EVERY DAY since he arrived I worried about him leaving. I used to have nightmares that I was in a room full of tons of cats and I couldn’t find him. I would call his name over and over and couldn’t find him. Cody is now 10 and I have also worried every day since he was adopted at 10 wks old. I understand why you are worried, that is so unusual to lose so many cats at age 8, but please (and how can I say this when I do it too?) try not to worry. Enjoy TODAY. Also, I LOVED seeing Rose in the photo!
Thanks Caren. I have tried to learn as much as I can about keeping cats healthy so that our current cats will be with us longer. Chris’s addiction to kibble is still a concern but I think he is still pretty healthy.
Chris is a sweetie, and he gives you lots to write about 🙂 Don’t think bad thoughts, keep positive.
Thanks. I do worry but only a little.
dood…round heer we haza sayin…all things in threez; sew sinz ewe iz de 4th; ewe will inn deed see …19 !!! yur fotoz shoot two dayz awesum; they R all grate…..canna wait for yur partee; hope ewe will bee servin up donutz at sum point !! 🙂 ♥♥
It would be awesome if they all make to 19.
We think your blog is aptly named…Chris sure doesn’t let you forget it!
He has slowed down a bit but Chris will always be Chris.
Oh Chris – “live long and prosper !”
😀
Thanks Mary.
Sometimes the awesomest cats are also the bad ones. Binga has misbehaved more than any cat I’ve ever encountered, but the humans are totally devoted to her… go figure!
Hmmm…imagine that. Maybe behaving is just boring. 🙂
Hmm. Chris sounds like a great cat to have around the house to me! Of course, I’m partial to ginger tabby cats, all of which I’ve known were cats with big personalities and sweet dispositions. My late Louie the ginger tabby introduced himself to my apartment the first day I brought him home from the shelter by opening every single cabinet door. Once he’d walked through the apartment and opened all the cabinet doors, he found a place to perch and take a quick nap. There was no getting used to a new place for Louie. He owned the place from his first minute here! He was huge – almost 24 pounds – and he had a habit of hopping on my lap when I was sitting in a chair. I had to put a pillow on my lap unless I wanted 24 pounds landing on anything sensitive! LOL! One time, when I was in my computer chair, he hopped in my lap and we both landed on the floor when the chair tipped over. I think he thought he was a kitten! My elderly mother thought he was a cheetah, he was so big. He sounds like he was a lot like Chris, a good kitty~!
He sounds exactly like Chris but bigger. Chris took over the minute we brought him home. We had other cats but he immediately declared himself king.
It must be a ginger tabby thing! All ginger tabbies I’ve met seemed to be really sweet kitties. There sure ly ais a naughty one somewhere, but I haven’t met that cat!
We have had three fingers. All we very friendly to people, including strangers, but Chris is over the top affectionate.
Chris you are one grand kitty and we hope you keep loving and being who you are. We are halfway through your book and LOVE it
Purrs
That’s awesome. Thanks.😀
Dougy was a naughty cat – he destroyed furniture with great regularity – yet I still am sad when I think about him. He died unexpectedly at nine years old. Yet, he was a comedian cat. He made me laugh. I could forgive him for his naughty side because he brought joy into my life. I get it: Chris gets a good mark for his best behavior and is forgiven any “bad” ones because he is overall, well, adorable!
Exactly. You understand.