Herc’s Family
Hercules Rockefeller
Birthday: October 26, 2008
Rainbow Day: December 22, 2021
Age (as of 2021): 13.5 years
Hercules was the first cat that we ever had and he sure did set a precedent. He was itty bitty, neglected and traumatized when we took him in and he exploded into the magnificent beast that he became before our very eyes.
He certainly had his struggles in life and he was really good at creating boundaries and letting you know when you crossed them.
Herc was my first cat that was “my” cat. I had grown up with animals at various points of my childhood, but Herc was the cat I got after graduating, starting my ‘adult’ job, and getting my own place. There’s something about your first kitty – they will always be a special part of you.
Herc was known for:
Zoe (aka ‘StupidZoe’)
Birthday: January 1, 2010
Age (As of 2021): 11 years
Zoe is an interesting girl. From the moment we brought her home from the shelter, she was extremely skittish. She bonded with Hercules but she showed zero interest in bonding with the humans. We were slow and gentle with her, giving her her space – but she wanted nothing of it. She was never going to be a lap cat and we respected that.
As time went on, Zoe the skittish cat started getting herself into quite a few predicaments. Whether it was getting stuck in cabinets, stuck in drawers, lost in our apartment or stuck in between the floors of our house (yes, in the ceiling) in multiple occasions, we realized that she was extra different. StupidZoe became a nickname that stuck. We still love her as much as she’ll let us love her, but jeez – she really does the stupidest things sometimes. LIfe is an adventure when it comes to Zoe!
Zoe is known for:
Marv
Birthday: July 1, 2012
Age (as of 2021): 9 years
Oh my sweet Marv – you’re such a pain in the ass but we still love you!
Marv is a very intense cat. Everything he does he cranks up the intensity to 300%. He originally belonged to my parents neighbours – they moved away and literally threw Marv out. (They took their other cat and dog, but purposefully left Marv). He was supposed to be my sisters cat and we were going to hold onto him for a few months until my sister got a new place… that never happened and much to Hercule’s discontent, Marv stayed.
Marv has obsessions, or rather – hyperfixations. He likes to eat many things, most of them are actual food but sometimes not. He’s mauled peaches, tomatoes, avocados and bananas since the day we got him and will continue to do so if we ever leave them on the counter. He’s obsessed with ribbon and string of all sorts and will eat it (and has spent many a trips to the vet as a result) and we now have a ‘no ribbon rule’ in our house.
Marv would “play” with Hercules – we called is Marv-ercising, although we’ve recently wondered if Marv was really playing of if it was aggression based play now that we see Marv’s utter disdain for Stella.
Marv is a perpetual work in progress.
Marv is known for:
Stella
Birthday: May 29th, 2015
Age (as of 2021): 7 years
Stella, aka ‘Sterbles’, is our newest addition. She joined us on January 30th, 2021 as an unexpected 4th cat. There was never any intention to get a 4th cat – but when I saw her on my FYP (TikTok), I knew that we would be able to help her out.
Stella was surrendered at 26 pounds as her owners couldn’t care for her anymore. She had a lot of skin problems overall due to poor diet and her backside was in rough shape due to her inability to groom herself. Knowing that we were equipped with the knowledge and resources to help out a fat cat, I reached out to the shelter and Stella came home with us.
Stella is an exceptionally timid girl and doesn’t stand up to Marv. Marv, our eternal work-in-progress, and Stella may never be besties but we’re hoping to at least get to a place where they can coexist in peace. Stella bonded with Hercules and they had chonky cuddles – it was adorable.
Stella’s lost nearly 3 pounds since coming to us and has since reached a plateau. We’ve been there before with Herc, so we know what to do. Stella will slim down in no time!