Jamie

• Spring–Summer 2008 — born as one of ten kittens
• August 2008 — visits from the neighbor’s ginger cat Garfield (2008–2019) inspire the decision to adopt again
• Adopted from the local shelter with brother Mylow, the same place Carry once came from
• August 29, 2008 — first day home
• From day one, frequently choosing the round scratch toy with the wire spring as his seat — a habit that stays into old age
• First encounter with Garfield — hisses erupt on both sides, fur bristles, tension rises — Garfield is brought back outside
• Playful yet gentle in early months — practices fighting to understand strength and limits
• The living room and the basement bar become his playground with Mylow — the bedroom their wrestling ground.
• When playing with humans, begins while Mylow jumps in to take over; in adulthood the roles reverse, and in old age the pattern quietly returns
• Time and again, found in uneven positions — upper body on a blanket while the lower body stays on the sofa, or hind legs on the first step and front paws on the floor
• Through kittenhood and early adulthood, often sleeps curled up with Mylow — groomed by him more often than he returns the favor
• Hears Mylow trapped in a nearby garage and leads his human mother there
• In early years, hurries to the front door whenever someone returns home — eager to inspect every bag and new scent; over time, the ritual slowly fades
• Jamie is larger overall than Mylow — broad head and strong build, bigger paws and a thicker tail
• Eyes shift over time — amber as a kitten, clear yellow in adulthood, returning to deep amber in old age
• As kittens, Jamie and Mylow discover claws and jump strength — their humans teach them where scratching and jumping are allowed and where they are not. Jamie understands the rules well, yet in younger years occasionally drags his claws along the sofa when he wants something, fully aware of the reaction it will provoke. The habit gradually disappears with age.
• Remains at ease being carried at any age
• Spends much of his early life close to Mylow — playing and sleeping together — grows distant over time, yet still intervenes when Mylow is in danger, driving other cats away — even though Mylow constantly provokes and annoys him
• As a kitten, fearless toward strangers — later withdraws and follows Mylow; inside, almost always hiding together beneath the basement stairs, only rarely elsewhere; outside, keeps distance and hides separately
• Excellent hunter — focused, efficient, and purposeful
• Lies still during closeness — calm, grounded, unmoving
• Paws notably soft — almost velvety to the touch
• Uses his voice sparingly — in younger and middle years only when he wants to be let outside, where his meow turns firm and demanding; otherwise soft and restrained; in old age, becomes almost completely silent
• On one memorable occasion, after repeatedly meowing to be let out through the patio door and being ignored, jumps onto the sofa, looks directly at one of his humans, and delivers an especially firm and demanding meow as if insisting the request be taken seriously
• When young, tries to catch his own tail — most notably on the stairs inside the house; later, he never actively uses it, and when lying awake, it develops a quiet life of its own with irregular, subtle twitching
• Strongly oriented toward his human mother
• Likes resting on backrests — in younger years on the backrest of an office chair, later mostly on top of the large sofa cushions, gradually pressing deep hollows into them
• Has many different sleeping places and makes regular rounds through them each day in a familiar sequence, changing preferred spots with the seasons both outside and inside the house
• Prefers sleeping outdoors whenever conditions allow, a habit that remains unchanged throughout all stages of life
• During hot summer days, frequently changes sleeping positions in the garden and rotates between several spots in short intervals; in extreme heat, sometimes squeezes himself into the narrow space between the patio door and the garden bench standing directly in front of it
• While grooming, sometimes twists a front paw into such an unusual position that it looks broken
• When a standing human plays with him using a long string or similar object gliding across the floor, he repeatedly throws himself around the person's feet and darts through the person's legs, as if the one holding the toy belonged to the chase itself.
• Occasionally, he sits in seemingly backward positions, facing directly into corners and narrow angles — the space between the patio door and the wall, or the gap between a bench's backrest and armrest — quietly gazing into them as though they were the most natural place to look.
• Defends his territory mostly without fighting — his voice alone is usually enough to make other cats leave; only once, after a recurring black tomcat keeps returning, comes home exhausted and disheveled, with a tiny piece missing from his right ear — and the rival is never seen again