Norman

Norman muscled his way into my sister’s life after spotting her on a bike trail in Cincinnati, where somebody "took him on a little trip" and promptly disappeared. Confused and unsure of his situation, he spent hours trying to snag passersby, but to no avail. By the time he saw my sister on her bike, he was desperate and ran for it! Hearing a constant pulsating cry, she finally looked behind her and discovered she was being chased.

Once home, Norman immediately settled in — to the great dismay of Comet and Ashes. He is named Norman after Psycho's "Norman Bates" because he is completely mental. As a kitten, he attacked everything with a feverish, unsettling look. He jumped after anything, with no consideration of how or where he might land. Norman is a survivor.

The early trauma Norman experienced in that open field planted deep-seeded insecurities about belonging. Analysis was useless. Once he had the constant guarantee of scheduled meals, he also began his lifelong struggle with weight. The older he gets, the more of a bully he becomes to ward off any potential teasing in these sensitive areas. Some days, he doesn’t even need to be provoked to lash out. While lazily content in his new life of luxury, he still gets that crazy glint in his eye every once in a while, so watch out!

Norman loves laps but not to be pet. He spends his time napping and eating or eating and napping, sitting, and randomly smacking whoever crosses his path — cat or human. Norman's heroes are Marlon Brando and Mike Tyson.

Of course, Norman has his good, lovable side too. Since his arrival, my nephew has been Norman's favorite person. They are best playmates, who over the years, have fought many dinosaur and Star Wars battles. Norman's dearest inseparable friend is Mini. He lights up at any mention of his friend. Did you see it happen just now? Oh, wait, maybe he just senses that it’s mealtime.