Cleo

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Cleo (aka Cleo Mio or Cleo Meow) was probably born about mid 1997. We discovered her one evening in the fall of 1997. We were driving home and there suddenly in the ditch a few hundred yards before our driveway were six pairs of eyes glowing in the headlights. It was a nursing mother (Cleo) and five nursing kittens. We don't think they'd been born in the wild because Cleo was wearing a flea collar (though no identification). What seems most likely is that they were dumped by some owner who did not want to deal with the new family. How can people do this? But that's life in the country!

Anyway, we took Cleo and her five kittens in. Gave away two black kittens to friends in Toronto and kept the three grey kittens ourselves. Unfortunately, these "Three Heroes" (Solo, Scorpio, and Bravo) are no longer with us. Solo died of an inoperable brain tumour in Aug/00 (1 year old). Scorpio wandered off (and we're afraid was eaten by coyotes) in Jun/03 (not quite 4 years old). Bravo went missing the most recently (in July/05 -- not quite 6 years old) and again we're afraid was eaten by coyotes. Cleo remains with us -- frequently crawling over our pillow in the small hours of the night to be given a few pats.

Cleo has a strange way of carrying her tail up over her body (pointing to her head like a scorpion) -- a trait which had been inherited by only one of her sons (Scorpio). She is a sweet cat and an important member of the SwallowHill owners.

Here is a picture of her in another favourite position.