Smoke

Although his name is Smoke, he's always been known as Mokie Moke. Mokie is a beautiful animal. He's a chocolate brown Persian with a cast of red in his coat. He's very regal and dignified looking and tends to be a little vain.

Being the only cat in a house full of dogs can be challenging. He loves his cross-species siblings, but even though he's the oldest, he's perpetually the little brother. Sometimes the dogs are nice to him and snuggle with him on the bed, and sometimes they decide it's time to torment him and chase him around the house. I've struggled with whether to put a stop to this because I honestly can't tell whether he enjoys "playing" with the dogs or not. When I do rescue him, he runs right back into the fray. Even the times when he's pinned and one of the dogs is mouthing his head or tail, Mokie fights back without unsheathing those razor sharp claws.

I think he just desperately wants to be part of the pack. When we let the dogs out, he'll go running to the door with everyone else. We live on the edge of a canyon with coyotes, so he's not allowed out, but that doesn't keep him from staying with the gang right up to the door. He even tries to buy the dogs' affection by batting forbidden items off of shelves and dressers down to the waiting jaws of the Destructive Duo. This plays out like an orchestrated conspiracy and is one of the few times they all act in harmony. Lucky us.

For all his regal beauty, Mokie can be a little neurotic. He has a strange thing with doorways, preferring to be carried over the threshold. If he must walk, he jumps over them with a little yowl. He's a very finicky eater, he will turn his nose up at raw fish, distains all table scraps, and will only eat certain flavors of certain brands of cat food. He's also very shy of strangers. He's been known to hide himself so well when company comes over, that we've been convinced he's sneaked outside.

Despite being standoffish with people he doesn't know, he's affectionate to the point of being demanding with the people he loves. He can spend hours kneading your legs and has actually been known to drool when getting pet. If you try to walk by him without giving him a little pat, he'll meow and even grab at your hand with his paw. He loves to curl up right next to you and will face down the dogs for a position on the couch or bed.

He's our little prince who just wants to be a dog when he grows up.