Sugar: Sugar was our 17-year-old Siamese cat, who was also the first cat in our home, and the one that gave us the idea to start this comic. She lived a long and happy life plotting the demise of all of our other cats until we had to put her down in 2008. Like most cats, she enjoyed sleeping and eating, but what set her apart was her personality. Since she was a Siamese, she talked all the time, and even seemed to teach our other non-Siamese cats to talk. She also loved cuddling with us. Aliases by Rob included: Sugar-butt, Sparky, psycho, whack-job, Mrs. Cranky-Pants, Cranky-butt, Chicken-butt, fossil, and Honey-Honey (from the line following 'Sugar' in the song 'Candy Girl'). Tania often called Sugar Sugs and baby girl.
Kosette: Kosette is a 13-year-old grey tabby cat. She might be purebred, but she's a shelter cat so no one knows. She's got the most pathetic "mew", which is ironic since she's a very, well, large cat. She and Snowcrash have gotten quite close, despite the 9 year age difference. Aliases include: Stupid-Fat, Fats McGee, Fatso, McFats, Blob, Fur-tumor, Hamhocks, Jupiter-Butt, The Fat One, Turkey-butt, Fat-Stuff, KosettaMonster, KosettaMuffin, Cookie Monster, and Farfenugan (I have no idea, so don't ask).
SnowCrash: SnowCrash is an approximately 5-year old white kitten with a penchant for curiousity and playing. He really likes Kosette, and she has become closer to him and more active, often following him around while he follows us around. He's interested in anything and everything that he sees us or another cat do and seems fascinated by running water. Aliases include: White Thing, Sparky, Fuzzy Man, Mr. Fuzzy, Mr. Man, Dude, Little Dude, Little Man, Mr. Dude, Mr. Fuzzy Man, etc. He was named for a book by Neil Stephenson.
Min: Min is a 8-year-old russian blue cat, or at least seems to be from her coloring. Although she was the fourth cat to our house and for a few years was the only cat in her previous home, she's quickly adapting to the dynamics of life in a house of cats. She plays with SnowCrash on a daily basis, but has yet to arose the jealousy of Kosette over his attentions. She feared Sugar during the time when we had them both, and has an odd habit of rattling her tail instead of swishing it like most cats. Aliases include: Min-Min, Minnie-Min, Wiggles, Min-Mei (Robotech forever!), Minster, Minifred, Minifer, and occasionally when she responds to nothing else, Minnie-minnie-min-a-min.
Zathras: Zathras is a 2-year-old black cat who used to have strange mutant white hairs. He was given to us at Christmas 2008, unneutered and attention-starved. After being quarantined for three days and then neutered, he was released into the household and quickly became very fond of Snowcrash. He enjoys running around the house, harassing the other cats, gnawing on plastic bags and cardboard boxes, jumping up onto places previously unreachable by cats, cuddling and purring loudly when hungry, and generally causing mischief. Aliases include: Mr. Fluffy, His Fluffiness, the Black Fox (from "The Court Jester" movie), Mr. Z, Death Ferret, Child of Evil, and Destructo-Kitty. Zathras's name comes from a character in the sci-fi TV series "Babylon 5" who said things like: "Zathras is used to being beast of burden to other people's needs. Very sad life. Probably have very sad death. But, at least there is symmetry."
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is an approximately 1-year-old female orange tabby who recently joined our family. She was found feral as a kitten and rescued by Chesapeake Cats & Dogs, the local feline rescue where Tania volunteers. She worked her way into Tania's heart and officially began her new life with us on February 24, 2010. She's very vocal, with an unusual loud chirp, very affectionate with Tania (but still a bit hesitant around Rob and skittish around everyone else), seems to be getting along fine with the other 4 cats, and—like all kittens—enjoys causing mischief. Aliases include: Cimmamim, Synonym, Squeakers, Pipsqueak, Tiny, Tiny the Terror, and Skinny Min.
Auron: Auron was our crayfish, who died in late 2007 and was featured in several comics. His interests included escaping his tank, getting out of his tank, swimming to the top of his tank in hopes of getting out, and jumping up and smacking his head on the top of his tank to try to escape his tank. Aliases included: The Crab, The Monster, The Crawfish, The Crayfish, Houdini (from the one time he did get out), and Cajun Food.
Mr. (Mouse) Toy: Mr. Toy never goes by his first name, in hopes of gaining some measure of respectability, which is hard when you're a Cat Toy. He was obtained in order to amuse Kosette and help her lose weight, but she usually just kicks him accident, causing him to squeak and her to jump in fear. He quickly allied himself with Sugar in their mutual irritation at Kosette and goal to get rid of her. It is rumoured that he has ties to the Cat Toy Underworld, but none have been substantiated.
Mr. Red (Guard): Formerly a popular eraser, created in the image of the Emperor's Red Guards from the Star Wars movie Return of the Jedi, now a very unskilled hitman. He was hired by Mr. Toy and Sugar to 'take care of the Kosette problem' but ended up befriending her instead. Now he's more useless than ever, hanging out with Kosette and reminscing about the glory years before George Lucas embraced the Dark Side of selling out. Spends most of his time "hatin' the man". As of recent, he may have embraced the Dark Side as Lord Eraser, under the influence of Darth Sugarous, a mysterious new Lord of the Sith.
Tania: Tania was Sugar's primary owner. Tania received Sugar when she was 4 months old, and met her the day after she was born. They always had a special connection, and Tania spoiled Sugar rotten. (She loved it, of course.) Tania is also the creator of this page.
Rob: Rob is Tania's husband. Rob liked Sugar enough, and they even learned to play nicely together in the time since he inherited her through marriage to Tania. He also inherited Kosette and Min through his marriage to Tania, so it cannot be said that she did not come with a sizable dowry. Currently he's trying to teach Min how to play (since Kosette is a big pansy and SnowCrash has played nonstop since he joined us). He also takes all the snapshots and creates the comics, and also types this and talks about himself in the third person.
The sketch comic begins when the day before Tania and Rob were married. Tania, Tania's mom, and Tania's stepdad spent 9 hours driving Sugar and a lot of Tania's stuff to Maryland, where Rob lived (and still lives). Sugar was taken into the apartment and (after a bunch of stuff had been put away and Tania suspected Sugar needed to use her litterbox) was let out of the cat carrier. This comic tells the story of what happens after that.
The snapshot comics begin the day that Kosette arrived, which also signalled the beginning of the feline war of attrition for attention. SnowCrash the kitten joined our family circus in January 2006, shifting the balance of feline politics forever. Min joined us in May of 2007, becoming SnowCrash's second major love interest (since Sugar always rejected him). Zathras joined us in December of 2008, adding a new element of chaos to our lives. Cinnamon joined our family in February of 2010, bringing with her color and vibrance.
Comic is updated weekly on Sundays. Images and Artwork © Rob Harrison, 2005-2009; Design © funnel's Web Design.