Quinn

Quinn --- I wanted it short and sweet with only one syllable; name source is the song "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)"
Nicknames --- Quinnikin, Cuteness, Mr. Mightyquinn, Quinny-Boy, Sillyquinn, Algonquin, Bratling, Wriggleworm, Scarface, Noisy Bastard, and Shorty (via my mom)
Age --- 4 (October 2008)

Quinn's the baby -- and crybaby -- of the house. I found him on my front porch December of 2004, so he's four and something now (October 2008 edit). He's the noisiest cat I've ever known, beating Jezery by a long shot. He beats Tasha in the food-crazy department; I have to feed him separately because he'll shove them aside to eat their food. He tries to shove his way into human food, too (a bad habit that's being broken... I've been mostly successful with that, but less so with his getting on the counters, eating toilet paper rolls, and stealing the filter from the water fountain). His nose seems sensitive to scrapes, but they fortunately fade after a few months or he'd really be a Scarface. He's filling out beautifully from the scrawny adolescent I found. I love his coloring: he's almost all black, but has white bits on his back toes, belly, chest, and armpits. The back toes are especially cute without the corresponding front paws that most cats have. He's got an incredibly loud purr, though it's loudest when he's kneading a blanket and softer when actually cuddling. He's a chest-cuddler, but a restless one. He gets up and recurls himself a lot, and doesn't really like to cuddle when you try to pick him up -- I steal a lot of five-second cuddles, though, and he's learned that he won't get out of the bathroom after meals until I get a quick snuggle. I have managed to mostly train him out of his love-biting habit. He acts very skittish around other people, but if they sit down and hold still for a while then he warms up. He's still young, so he's very playful. He loves the feather stick and will entertain himself for hours with the trackball around the cat scratcher; I've learned to tune it out while sleeping. He occasionally likes to dab his paw in the bathtub, but usually contents himself with staring at the crazy lady in the water and staying nearby. When I take a shower, though, he often paws at the door until I open it; he'll walk inside under the spray where he doesn't get anything wet but his pawpads, nose about, and then leave.

18 December 2005: He's still very playful, but he settles down sooner and I've been getting a lot more in the cuddle department, though he hates being under the covers (a good thing since Jez and Tasha force their way under). He's especially cuddly when I have a day to sleep in -- when I get up and while Jez and Tasha are still being lazy bums, he'll come curl in my lap at the computer. That "morning time" is pretty much just ours, and I treasure it.

26 October 2008: Quinn has a new buddy in my boyfriend Dave, and Quinn has really blossomed from it. He's nowhere near as skittish as he used to be (cautious, still), and will follow Dave around when he calls. He's still the obviously youngest cat by quite a bit, but having Dave to channel his energy is so good.

Some pictures from February 2006 and February 2007: