by Nick Bruel
Cat came from a group of six pet cats sent to Maine by Marie Antoinette when she was planning to escape from France during the French Revolution.
The Twin Kitties are American shorthair cats. American shorthairs come in a variety of eighty different colors and patterns. Though they are called American shorthairs, the first ones came from Europe with early settlers. There are even records that show they were on the Mayflower.
Stinky Kitty is a Persian cat, the number one breed in popularity thanks to their easygoing personality. Although Persians aren’t known to be any stinkier than other breeds of cats, they do require daily combings of their dense, long
fur and even occasional baths. Because their legs are short, they don’t jump very high. But they do like to run.
Chatty Kitty is a Siamese cat, a breed that originated in Thailand, but back in the 1800s Thailand was known as Siam. Siamese cats are considered one of the oldest breeds. Many other breeds such as the Burmese and the ocicat have been derived from the Siamese. And,
yes, they are well known for being … talkative.
Pretty Kitty is a Turkish Angora cat, a breed that originated in the mountainous regions of Turkey where a long, thick coat of fur would be useful during their harsh winters. The Turkish Angora is considered such a national treasure that in 1917 the government of Turkey and the
Ankara Zoo began a program that continues to this day to preserve the breed.
Strange Kitty is a sphynx cat, a natural mutation that was first seen in Toronto, Canada, in 1966. Most sphynx cats have absolutely no fur on their bodies except for a very fine fuzz, and they may not even have whiskers. This means that if they sit under the sun too
long, they can actually get a sunburn. Because their skin is unprotected by fur, they need to take baths at least once a week.
In memory of Sam and Hercules,
Zou-zou, Halloween, Tom, Lucky, Choo-choo,
and all of my other pets I have loved and not forgotten.
Copyright © 2009 by Nick Bruel
A Neal Porter Book
Published by Roaring Brook Press
Roaring Brook Press is a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
www.roaringbrookpress.com
All rights reserved
Distributed in Canada by H.B. Fenn and Company Ltd.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress.
eISBN: 978-1-4668-1123-2
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First Edition September 2009
Printed in May 2009 in the United States of America by RR Donnelley, Harrisonburg, Virginia
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