Meet the Helix House Pets!
You’ve met the Helix House Team, but you haven’t met all of them. That’s right, today’s blog is all about the Helix House Pets! Disclaimer: Though written by Casey Watts, all of these answers come straight from the mouths of their owners. Yes, it’s going to be 600 word sections about all of our pets. What can we say? We love our fur babies.
Casey’s Cat: Olive, The Floof Muffin
Olive is the world’s best muffin. She is the purrfect combination of fluff, cuddles, and sass. She’ll “talk back” if she hears something she doesn’t like. No really, she meows back as if she were a part of the conversation (and she is). She’s a 13-year-old Maine Coon mix and a literal clingy baby who loves cuddles and sitting in front of my computer screen. She has to think she’s a Helix House employee by now, because she rarely missed a Zoom meeting during our work-from-home phase.
The Floof’s Backstory
Olive was a shelter kitten who came with the name. The two other kittens were named an “Olive” variant too — Olivia (her sister), and Oliver. She was 16 weeks old when she decided Casey was her human. Coincidentally, she was also the first kitten Casey decided to meet that day. The pair had an immediate connection. Olive climbed on Casey’s lap without hesitation, tried to climb her pink Tinkerbell shirt to sniff and rub against her face, played with her shoelaces (while still on her lap), and showed more interest in her than any of the other kittens. Sadly, Olive was very sickly as a kitten. She had just about every problem you could think of — stomach issues, a bad cold, ear mites, the works. Thankfully, Casey’s mom noticed how much this cat clung to her and decided to bring her home anyway. Olive took her meds like a champ and was such a good girl through it all.
A ‘Scary’ Olive Moment
When they first got Olive, she was confined to Casey’s bedroom. They had an older, half-blind cat who was very skittish, so they were slowly introducing them. One night, Casey got up to use the bathroom, which was connected to her room. She couldn’t find Olive anywhere. Under the bed? Nope. Dresser? Nada. In the closet? No. Little 13/14-year-old Casey was panicking. What if she somehow got out? What if Shadow — the older cat who would never hurt a fly unless you came up on his blind side and spooked him (looking at you dad, but that’s another story) — got to her? She whispered Olive’s name in a vain hope of finding her. Then, movement. Her head snapped over to the bed. Her pillows, which were mostly vertical against the headboard, had eyes. Olive had nestled herself on the top of the pillows and was invisible until she popped her head up. Casey always looked there first from then on. If you’re wondering, she and Shadow got along fine once they were properly introduced. If he ever got annoyed with her kitten energy, he would just bop her on the head and she would fall right over. She now bops other animals on the head too, just like he used to...well, except with a little more vigor. [caption id="attachment_9751" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Bottom middle photo: Olive (left) and sits with Shadow on the landing of the stairs.[/caption]
Alex’s Cat: Beatrice, The Queen B
The Queen B herself, Beatrice is a spunky girl with a lot of purrsonality. She is half snugglebug and half lurking monster. She is very chill when it comes to being pet or held and Alex can bathe her and trim her claws pretty easily (an ultra-rare trait for cats). On the flip side of that, she IS still a cat and comes with all of those standoff-ish, "leave me alone" traits. But, Alex does like to say she's half dog, because she does love to be loved and she fetches (literally)She knows who is in charge and it isn’t her owner. During the day, B prefers to claim a patch of sunlight or Alex’s bed. When playful, she becomes a kitten in disguise. Nothing is safe from her grabby paws, especially not Christmas ribbons. Beatrice is 5 years old — she just celebrated her birthday on Sept. 4! Happy belated birthday, B! She’s a half Blue Prussian and half neighborhood white cat.
Adopting a Queen
It’s not everyday a peasant (aka how cats see their owners) can adopt royalty. For Alex, the day came when she was managing at Panera. One of her employees had a pregnant cat and was trying to find homes for the unborn kittens. When they asked Alex, she wasn’t too sure at first. You see, Alex grew up with dogs. She never owned a cat, never thought she would own a cat, and never really gave it much thought. The thing is, Alex was living alone and was getting tired of it. She wanted a pet and this was a good opportunity to get a relatively self-sufficient one. Alex decided to call her parents to get a second opinion. Much to her surprise, her dog-loving parents were all for it. They shared stories about their old cats and convinced Alex in a single conversation. Now all she had to do was wait for them to be born. A little over a month later, Alex got a call around midnight. She came face-to-face with her newborn kitten, soon to be known as Beatrice.
The Story Behind Her Name
There really is no story for why she chose the name "Beatrice.” She had some qualifications she wanted to meet and "Beatrice" checked all of those boxes off. They were…
- A long name that could be nicknamed (Beatrice to B)
- A fancy name (Alex thinks cats get fancy names, while dogs get more playful names)
Funny Beatrice Moment
Beatrice would hide under things when she was a super small baby. At a certain point, Alex had to block off the bottom of the couch with cheap towels to make sure she couldn't hide under it! Also, she likes to eat cottage cheese and salmon.
Louise’s Dog: Cooper Sampson ‘Honeybear’ Saafi
Cooper is a dog of many names: Buddy, Buddypal, honeybear, cutie, flopperton stinkerpots, kittycat beefsteak, mole log, etc. On the good days, he earns most of those nicknames. He’s a happy, smiley, content boy who loves rolling around on the ground and playing hide and go seek with his squeaky tennis ball. You can find this 10-year-old Bagle (Beagle/Basset Hound) on his back with his stomach completely displayed for belly rubs, soaking up the sunshine, or just hanging out on the couch watching TV. He is the best cuddle buddy and is a very attentive listener when you’re telling him secrets. Louise would compare it to a happy five-year-old who just got a popsicle or a balloon. He loves car rides. They’re his favorite thing and soothe him like nothing else. On bad days, he is a grumbly, grumpy, stinkerpot of a 70-year-old man who putters around the house and finds relief in elevating his aching hips from his arthritis on fluffy pillows. He is very stubborn like a good old hound typically is when he doesn’t want to do something. He will bay and howl at the moon, the sky, the next door neighbor, anybody who will listen about his worries and general despairs of day to day life of being a hound in the modern world. He is very loved, for the good days and the bad days, where I secretly enjoy him more for anyways.
How ‘Good’ of a Work-from-Home Coworker Cooper Was
He is the best coworker. So punctual. Every day, he wakes me up on cue to take him out, feed him and begrudgingly goes to lay down in the second room where my office is where he sleeps for the rest of the day.
Funny Cooper Stories
This dog can fly. He has this knack of getting onto counters and tables, like high-top counters and tables. He is a low rider like every Bagel is with some hip issues, so Louise has no clue how he manages to do it. It might have to do with his upbringing. Cooper was raised by cats and so he has very cat-like behavior. Sometimes, Louise will come out and he’ll be sitting on the ledge of her coach like he doesn’t realize he is a 50 pound hound dog that really shouldn't be doing these things. But it’s so endearing too that Louise just lets him do what he wants. This has some unintended consequences sometimes. One time after she came home, she sat down to watch some TV and felt that the couch was firmer than before. Louise ended up pulling out a whole loaf of bread and a stick of butter that she does not remember leaving out. She never really did get the grease from the butter stains out completely after that.
What about your pets? We’d love to hear all about them!
