"Wake up Tatt, time to do your webpage!"

Hi I'm Tatt,  the talking Cat

I am a Bengal Leopard Cat of the "Snow Leopard" sub-species. I am an S.B.T show grade Cat and I am fifth generation so I have papers declaring me as a pedigree domestic.

I am the result of an intensive selective breeding program consisting of crossing the Aumur Leopard with various exotic domestic cats (Egyptian Mau in my case). The idea being to produce a relatively tame Cat with the looks, intelligence and other superior characteristics of the wild cat.

I am about the weight of a very large housecat except I am much and slimmer and longer and much more muscular. I have a long, thick and strong tail which I use for balance when climbing and as a rudder when running. You can pick me up by my tail and it doesn't hurt. I walk with my tail high in the air like a dog does. When excited I wag my tail rapidly from side to side. When playful or mischievous I whip my tail up and down. When annoyed I beat my tail hard and slowly in displeasure. When you talk to me I tap the tip of my tail after every word even when I appear to be asleep.

My personality is closer to a dog than a cat in most ways, although I have a cat's curiosity and I am very independent.

I am fiercely loyal to my Dad and follow him everywhere through my house. I sit with my Dad when he has his meals and he shares his meat with me. I make a big fuss about this even if he's eating something I don't like. When my Dad bathes I go in the bathroom and talk to him while I guard the door and listen for intruders. When he leans back to rinse his hair I run over and watch him to make sure he doesn't drown. When my Dad sleeps I lay on top of the TV on the dresser watching over him and if there are any noises at the door I run growling to go investigate. When my Mum feeds me I go fetch my Dad to come watch as I kiss my Mum and do pirouettes for my meal. I will not accept food without my Dad present and I will not eat anything unless I beg for it first.

Although almost two years old I am just as playful as I was when I was a cub. I play very rough and violently and love to race around my house and play hunt and attack. The only "person" I will play with is my Dad and I'm very careful with my teeth and claws and will immediately stop if  I think hurt him. Even if my Dad gets rough with me I never get angry enough to injure him, although I also never back down from him. I frequently stalk my Dad and run and attack him only to pat him gently as I charge by. Once in a while I get carried away and actually pounce on my Dad but I immediately purr and kiss him so he knows I'm not serious.

My Dad says I am about twice as strong as a normal cat and as powerful as a dog many times my size. My paws are much more like hands than a regular Cat's with long claws (my Dad refuses to trim them or de-claw me) and my teeth are longer and razor sharp. When we play my Dad has to be very careful not to pull away when I bite him or my teeth will cut very easily. I can jump effortlessly and silently onto any thing in the house including the fireplace mantel in Dad's room which is over six feet high. I could be a real discipline problem if my Dad had not decided to give me free reign to jump and walk on the furniture and counters in the house.

I am very territorial and patrol the house on a regular basis and also love to watch out the windows at the birds and such. If I see a dog or cat on the property I get all worked up and watch them intensely. On a social level when introduced by my Dad to other dogs and cats I am friendly and do play with them although I always assume the dominant role and I have never been challenged on this. I make no distinction between dog or cat as I fear neither. I have also been known to take on a fatherly role when a small kitten is around.

On a number of occasions when I have become spooked my Dad has pushed me to find out just how wild I can be when scared. One such day was when my Dad's friend from work came to visit on his Harley Davidson. I was watching out the front door on a summer day and up the driveway comes the granddaddy of all vacuum cleaners. I filled with adrenaline as this guy comes to the front door, head to toe in black leather and with a black helmet on as well. As my Dad let him in I stayed down stairs and took up a defensive position, fearing I was about to be abducted by bikers. My Dad came looking for me and found me downstairs. I was blind with rage and put on a performance of growling and swatting not realizing it was only my Dad coming for me. My Dad, not fearing a few scratches was determined to see how far I would go and kept reaching for me. He found out I do not fight defensively as you would expect when cornered by a much larger opponent. I wait until contact is immanent and then strike out fearlessly, and with full force and violence. When my Dads hand got within reach I swatted out and sunk my claws into his arm and wrist and bit deeply into his wrist and bit right through his thumb and the web of his hand. My Dad knowing now that if I got at his face I could scar him for life backed down and tried to sweet talk me. After a while I calmed down enough to let Dad pick me up and carry me to the kitchen where him and my Mum tried to fuss me. I still was doing a lot of snarling for a half an hour or so as I was very agitated and also very upset about attacking my Dad. Feeling real bad about this I was extra affectionate during the night sleeping closer to my Dad than normal and waking him up with my purring every time he moved in the night. Learning the err of my ways from this incident I have never turned on my Dad ever since no matter how agitated I was.

Anyways, time for some sleep....Bye for now.