PuddyTat was a formerly orphaned Burmese cat who was the dominant force in
the Hassell household for 15+ years. She only weighed 6 pounds soaking
wet (a condition which she detested mightily), but her forceful personality
made her seem much bigger than her size.
Puddy was a graduate of the College of Hard Knocks. She was found
abandoned on the side of the road in East San Jose at the age of about
3-4 weeks. An older couple had taken her in, and when we adopted her,
she was starving and close to death. Even though her tiny body was weakened,
she was very affectionate, and tottered over to me, meowing all the way.
We fell in love then.
Puddytat was soon restored to health, and led a pampered life from then on.
We adopted another kitten, Fat Mama Cat, who Puddy promptly began to dominate
with great flair. They soon become the Frick and Frack of the cat world.
Puddy was full of personality. Her speciality was fetching her little kittie
nerf ball up and down the stairs, over and over and over again. We often
though we should've named her Dog because she followed us around faithfully,
immediately jumping into our laps as soon as we sat down.
Her predatory instincts came to the fore when the "C" word (chicken) was
offered to her. (Watch your fingers!) Especially hilarious was watching
her eat asparagus spears from the tip to the base.
She was an adequate hunter for a mostly indoor cat. She brought home
several snakes, mice, and lizards for her Mom and Dad to praise, usually
becoming bored with them seconds after dragging them inside. They would
not be seen or heard from again (except the 3-foot snake that slithered
out from behind the breadbox one day - that one survived).
She loved people, and usually attended every Hassell party, surveying
the crowd from the back of the recliner (to be closer to eye-level probably).
She was a party animal.
There will never be another cat like PuddyTat and she will truly be missed.