Sorry I don't have a better
photo of Tess. She doesn't care much for posing.
My wife got Tess when she was my fiancee
(my wife, not Tess). I would visit her at her apartment and this
cute little black kitten always attacked me, always drawing
blood. The landlady decided cats weren't allowed so I agreed to
keep Tess. Tess showed me what she thought of her new home by
knocking one item off a shelf each night, usually breaking it.
But she did restrain herself on attacking me, limiting the
attacks to only a couple a day.
After the marriage Tess was due for her
shots. My wife asked me to go with her to the vet, explaining
that Tess's first shots a year before were a total disaster. I
agreed. At the vet's I took Tess into the exam room and took her
out of her carrier and held her. Tess seemed rather well behaved
lying in my arms, purring, and only occasionally looking around
the room and hissing. Then the vet came in. Tess remembered him.
Let me just say that blood flowed, but not Tess's. The vet
informed us that we were never to bring Tess back. Tess has not
had shots since.
After about three years we moved to a
bigger home. Tess did not approve. She kept trying to move back.
After about a dozen trips back to the old house to get her she
finally seemed resigned to the fact that we weren't moving back.
Over the years Tess and I have developed a
sort of truce. I would not pet her unless she insisted. And then
I would read her mind and stop petting her before she attacked
me. The problem is the other cats. Over the years we have
collected a few more cats. Tess hates them all. For about two
years Tess had actually moved in with a neighbor, only
occasionally visiting us. During those visits she was very
affectionate towards my wife and me, not attacking us once. But
she didn't show the other cats the same tolerance. Apparently
Tess and the neighbor had a falling out because Tess has moved
back. The other cats are not happy about that.
