The music is "Lullaby of Birdland"

Tomess Twitney Edwards

Birthplace: Near Morgantown, Indiana

Birthdate: March or April, 1994

Nicknames: Tommye, Tom Twit, Runtelstiltskin, Spindle-shanks.

Likes: Playin an runnin an chastin an steelin tings and yellin at birdies an gittin womped on da but an slepein wit Catsiemom.

Dislikes: Wen I'm nott dooin dem tings.

Update: I am grown up and winkwinked now! Go look at my Winkwink page!

Let's see--how many of hoomommie's lighters have I stolen so far today? And how long can I keep looking innocent?

This is the holy terror and wholly terrible Tom Twitney Edwards. She may be a girl-kitty, but she's a tomboy all the way.

Here's how she came to be a member of the Edwards Felines:

My neighbor Barbara, who herself has a zooful of pets on her four acres, told me that two of a local farmer's cats had given birth recently, and she was helping to find homes for the kittens. I had lost one of my kitties not long before, so I told her I'd take one--if it was a gray longhair, preferably male. She said she'd check and report back.

Later it was, "Weeell, it's gray, with medium hair, and I think it's a male."

"Goody," I said, "bring it when it's ready."

When Barb later brought the kitty to me it was indeed gray--anyway, a few of its stripes were--and it did have medium long whiskers, at least--and it appeared to be a male, judging from the little dark brown spot down where it should be. Even if he wasn't exactly as represented, he was awfully cute--as all kittens are. I named him Tommy, and said to Tim,"He'll be a nice little playmate for Widgy, even though he's smaller than she. I hope she isn't too rough for him." Tim agreed that he was a bit of a runt, and that Widge looked as though she could take on Mike Tyson with a little training--training for Tyson, that is. Tough luck for Tommy--yeah, sure! Several rounds later the two contenders were in a clinch--with Tom on top! We agreed that Tommy could indeed hold his own, and ceased to worry.

Later we learned that Tommy was a girlkitty, though she neither looked nor acted like one. For one of her tiny size she was fiercely independent and didn't cater to the humans the way the other family members did. She did however take to Catsy in a big way, adopting her as a surrogate mommy. She actually nursed on Catsy (and Catsy let her) for at least two years. They're still close, but Catsy has finally weaned her and doesn't allow her to nurse anymore.

Tommye has a bad habit which she exercises by trying to help me break my bad habit--smoking. Yes, I know I shouldn't, but that's beside the point. I also have a habit of leaving my cheap little plastic throw-away lighters on the coffee table when I go to another part of the house. Many times I've gone back to the living room and found the lighter missing. Suspecting a cat had had a paw in its disappearance, I would search the floor thoroughly and find nothing, until I looked under the coffee table, which has a cupboard in it that goes all the way to the floor. There the lighter would be, along with several others that I hadn't been able to find previously. Now I carry the lighter with me if I'm going to be out of the room for more than a minute--if I forget to do this, I'm reminded of it by a clunk and clatter on the floor, and Tommye strolling nonchalantly out of the room. Darn little sneak, can't help lovin' her!

Her other big fun thing is running to the windows and doors, yelling at birds. It's like she's ordering them to come in and let her catch them! The other cats look out the windows at birds, but don't get manic about it as she does. She's a silly little twit, and we love her!