Dresden and his half-brother Ollie were the Grand Premiers who got me back into showing. They came here as kittens. They earned their titles. Then they retired from the show hall and became what they had always also been: beloved pets.
Under five minutes
When I first saw Dresden’s photographs, I said he had an almost Zen look on his face. The breeder assured me he was merely scared when kitten photographs were taken.
When I picked the boys up at the airport, Ollie was the timid one. Dresden walked out of the carrier, found a toy, and swatted it across the floor. He needed under five minutes to settle in.
At home, he was exceptionally laid-back. At shows he was easy to handle, but known for eyeing the judge and delivering a lengthy speech on the situation, the judge’s probable parentage, and some pointed suggestions about the toy. Sharing a hotel room with him was like sharing one with a stereotyped 1970s rock band. Climbing the walls was not the half of it.
Every day at around ten, he came and tapped me on the leg to be picked up for a long hug.
Built like an athlete
Oriental Shorthairs are supposed to be lean and tubular, but they should not be fragile. Dresden in his show days was built like an athlete. He was muscular and much heavier than he looked.
That distinction matters. Refined is not emaciated. A correct Oriental Shorthair can look improbably long and light while being solid in your hands.
A six-pack with five beers
Dresden is the master of chill. He likes hugs and fries dipped in ranch.
If he was a guy he’d come to your house with pizza, a six-pack with five beers and some chips. He wouldn’t be invited either. He’d just know when it was time.
Now he is exclusively my pet. Also an office cat, which means he remains undecided about whether my laptop is an expensive butt warmer.
Smarter than the average Oriental Shorthair
Oriental Shorthairs are clever as a rule. Dresden is in a whole other league. He can clearly think a move or two ahead.
He once opened a box of Sheba and then opened the individual foil packets. That is not merely persistence. It is a sequence.
His intelligence is clearest with kittens. He lets them chew on him. He lets them wrestle him. He does have a tendency to sit on them, but every kitten raised here gets schooled by the big guy.
Dresden loves kittens. They can chew on him. Big smile. They can wrestle him. Big smile.
He is gentle, but the lessons are real. He can immobilize a kitten, release it, pretend to stop wrestling, and use the pause as a feint. That takes some fancy cognitive skills.
The greatest cat ever
The titles explain how Dresden entered the story. They do not explain why he stayed at the center of it.
Grand Premier. Retired show cat. Office cat. Kitten professor. Uninvited friend with one missing beer.
Good morning, Dresden. The greatest cat ever.