See the results of Charlie’s Basepaws DNA test here.
Estimated date of birth: 6-2-20
Charlie (formal name: Charles, Prince of Wails) came to us in July 2020 as Aramis, one of the Mewsketeers kittens. He was an add-in to a mother with three kittens; he was rescued from the area where our former fosters – Ryder’s Fleet – had been rescued. He was adopted seamlessly into Alexandra’s litter and became good friends with his foster siblings.
From the very beginning, Charlie – then Aramis – was a sweet, laid-back boy who got along well with all the other kittens, but also didn’t mind hanging out by himself. He absolutely adored curling up in a pile of beds I’d inadvertently left sitting on the couch, and that’s still one of his favorite places to snooze (I moved the pile of beds out of the foster room to my room, and many nights he sleeps there.)
We had no intention of making him a permanent resident, but as his foster siblings were adopted and we faced the idea that the last three kittens might have to go to Petsmart, he suddenly seemed like he might be permanent resident material. He got along really well with not only his foster siblings, but also the permanent residents. He and Archie became buddies and were often seen playing together, and after a little while he and Jake became good buddies, too. The clincher was when he walked toward Alice – who finds kittens somewhat terrifying – and when she hissed quietly at him, he changed direction and avoided her and to this day does not harass her (if only his brothers Archie and Jake could learn that particular skill).
He’s great at following signals from other cats, and at the time I am writing this (January 2021), we are on our second set of fosters since he became a permanent resident, and all the fosters so far have loved him. He’s mostly interested in being in the kitten room and eating the kitten food, but will occasionally play. And if a kitten demands snuggles, he’ll put up with snuggling them.
Really, he’s an all-around good boy. He purrs so hard sometimes that it sounds like a cricket singing. His name was nearly “Jiminy” because of that cricket purr, but the day I was in the foster room and he sat outside the door and wailed and wailed to come in, I decided his name should be “Charles, Prince of Wails” – Charlie for short. And so he is.
Fred and I tell each other just about once a day that Charlie was an amazingly good choice. Not only does he get along great with the other permanent residents and the foster kittens, he’s also (as you’ll see below) very tolerant of wearing ties and hats. He’s just an all-around great boy.
(At 7 months old, he’s 9 pounds. Due to that, and the size of his huge paws, I think he’s going to be a VERY big cat when he’s done growing.) Edited to add: At just over 1 year old, he’s 13 pounds. And I still don’t think he’s done growing! Edited to add: He went to the vet today for his yearly checkup. He’s at 15 pounds! Edited to add: As of October 10, 2022 he’s just over 18 pounds!
We had Charlie’s DNA tested in early 2022, and the results are…
Western
Russian Blue 20.02%
American Shorthair 18.63%
Siberian 16.67%
Maine Coon 16.37%
Ragdoll 5.18%
Norwegian Forest Cat 5.15%
Broadly Western 4.91%
Abyssinian 0.96%
Turkish Van 0%
Turkish Angora 0%
Eastern
Broadly Eastern 3.21%
Oriental 0%
Peterbald 0%
Burmese 0%
Birman 0%
Thai 0%
Persian
Broadly Persian 3.48%
Exotic Shorthair 3.33%
British Shorthair 2.07%
Persian 0%
Himalayan 0%
Exotic
Broadly Exotic 0%
Bengal 0%
Savannah 0%
Egyptian Mau 0%
Polycat 0%
(“Polycat” is another way of saying “We don’t know.”)