he's too off-the-charts cute to leave out of the gallery. he's the most affectionate kitten ever (and he's only been with us two days!), and he comes from the same breeder we got little baby adeline from (hmmm...a name theme is emerging...), minkitty cattery from around here in cleveland. nancy makes a lovely home for kittens to be born in. i'm enclosing a pic of elliott and adeline's grandma (though our two kittens don't share any parents from minkitty), too, xena:

thanks to michelle for taking such wonderful pictures; all of them.

here's a picture of elliott when we first went to visit him at nancy's house:

he's a three-month old platinum mink tonkinese. michelle had done some research into cat breeds, and neither of us had known about tonkinese cats before. they're basically a burmese/siamese mixture with characteristics we liked, like exeptional playfulness, intelligence and affection toward people and other cats. adeline, who also came from minkitty, is a champagne solid tonkinese. she's presently the most recalcitrant of the four cats toward elliott, but it's only been a couple of days. moochie seems very intent on being friends with elliott, and chiquita has roused herself from her usual flatline demeanor in her fascination with the new baby kitten.

more pictures of the baby kitten, elliott, if you can stand the cuteness overload, follow on the next page:

i can't believe that, on his first hours in our home, this angel was comfortable enough for this:

i really should be practicing...

Comments

[ivan]

wow! looks good enuf to eat.. what's for dinner?? just kidding--michelle came down on me hard!

he's not for eating!!
however, to make room in the house, i may consider a furrier-friend's offer to buy chiquita to make fur mittens
(jk)
great to see you again, i-man
best,
chris

[Michelle]

Just so you all know, Chris loves this kitten more than me and life itself! Baby Elliott is THE cutest kitten anyone has ever seen, trust me. We are both in love with him and Chris is threatening to give up his role as touring concert pianist just to stay home with little Elliott. lol.
I also wanted to point out that the name theme Chris refers to is after the late singer/songwriter, Elliott Smith, who we named Elliott and Adeline after. Sweet Adeline is one of his songs.

michelle-
i assure you, i love you more than i love baby elliott.
just a little more, mind you, but still, that's something, right?
(jk)
love,
elliott's love-slave

[Virginia]

Oh my... I am definitely a cat person, and I definitely can handle the cuteness overload, but I'm not sure about the mushiness overload....haha. Just Kidding

thanks, virginia!
c

[Ruth Ruder]

Dear Chris,

I love seeing your cats online here. My cat, Kooky, is my special best cat friend. According to the people who take her when we are out of town, she even speaks Chinese. I've been checking your website out since Sunriver. I am going to send you a joke I know you will enjoy since you liked Phillip's one about the ear. It's just about as cruel but has to do with dogs, not cats.

Two women were out for a Saturday stroll. One had a Doberman and the other, a Chihuahua. As they walked
down the street, the one with the Doberman said to her friend, "Let's go over to that bar for a drink."

The lady with the Chihuahua said, "We can't go in there. We've got our dogs with us."

The one with the Doberman said, "Just watch, and do as I do."

They walked over to the bar and the one with the Doberman put on a pair of dark glasses and started to walk in. The bouncer at the door said, "Sorry, lady, no pets allowed."

The woman with the Doberman said, "You don't understand. This is my guide dog."

The bouncer said, "A Doberman?"

The woman said, "Yes, they're using them now. They're very good."

The bouncer said, "OK, come on in."

The lady with the Chihuahua thought that convincing him that a Chihuahua was a guide dog may be a bit more difficult, but thought, "What ! the hec k," so she put on her dark glasses and started to walk in.

Once again the bouncer said, "Sorry, lady, no pets allowed."

The woman said, "You don't understand. This is my guide dog."
The bouncer said, "A Chihuahua?"

The woman with the Chihuahua said, "A Chihuahua? They gave me a freakin' Chihuahua???!!!"

ruth-
that's excellent!!
great to see you both this summer at sunriver.
best always,
chris

[Elizabeth]

My gosh! I studied with Russell Sherman at the University of Arizona, from 1964 through most of 1967. Moved to Tucson with my family in 1964 from Texas, and started studying with him at age 13. I see you're a feline lover. So are my husband and I--our first cat was Pizzicato.

Love your music so much. Would love to have the chance to speak with you about studying with RS!

i think we all got so much from russell.
you should seek out his book, now probably about ten years old, entitled 'piano pieces'. its aphoristic style is a perfect crystallization of his teaching. to think i could have saved all those long bus-rides to lexington!
cheers,
chris

[denise v.]

man. he's gorgeous and look at those paws. aww way cute. good choice.

denise-
he's growing into quite the boy. elliott is the first cat i've ever had who fetches!! he loves this tiny carpet-ball (he's had it since we brought him home; he's lost it under the couch a couple of times, but he still hasn't quite torn it into threads) and he really will bring it right to my feet for me to throw it again, and woe betide the one who hesitates: i've quite a few holes in my feet from elliott donkey-kicking me impatiently if i don't respond right away. i'm having to get a lot of my practicing done in 10-second installments. and michelle is in true danger since elliott has figured out how to claw through the wicker-bottom chair she works at home in.
he's the cutest kitten ever. adeline's a close second, of course.
best wishes,
chris