Aubrey Murray, Curfew & Nightmare
Curfew is the best joke I’ve ever told. I got Curfew after a terrible breakup. I had been going out on dates and needed a good excuse to leave. Bada bing. He’s a healthy little guy, that is a good 20 years of puns. Curfew fixed my broken heart pretty quickly. He’s a JERK. He ignores me. He’s rude. He’s picky. He hates cuddling and meeting my friends. He has the exact personality of the boyfriend I missed. It made me realize these traits make a charming cat but a terrible dude. My priorities changed pretty quickly after that.
But what a charming cat! Every awful thing endears him to me more. He’s a gorgeous, grouchy little panther. He’s an avid but incompetent hunter, often running into walls in pursuit of a laser pointer. He has the most gorgeous coat that he spends hours meticulously grooming. He has the meanest little yowl when he wants attention–usually in the middle of the night. He frequently begs for attention and then runs away the second you give it. When he does stay still, he prefers a really rough pet. He likes to be pinned down and stroked firmly. My husband does this best. It is extremely sweet to see them bonded.
“There was so much loneliness and suffering in the world and we were so lucky to create this little bubble in which we fell in love and made a little family with these two.”
Nightmare is our pandemic princess. You have to forgive my sense of humor. The names had to match, right? We call her “Mary” for short and sometimes “Beeper” when she gives us her high-pitched meow. I met my husband right before the world ended and we wasted no time moving in together and adopting a kitten. It was a very surreal time. I’m embarrassed to admit all of the songs and rituals we had surrounding the cats. I won’t go into too much detail but one was called “Cat Worship Hour”. There was so much loneliness and suffering in the world and we were so lucky to create this little bubble in which we fell in love and made a little family with these two.
Nightmare is the glue of said family. She is so attached to my husband and me. She follows us around everywhere with the cutest little trill. I knew I wanted another black cat because they have a tough time getting adopted. We got her basically sight unseen in the middle of the pandemic. They just handed us a mewling cardboard box. We were so smitten. She’s such a happy, affectionate little thing. We are working through some minor separation anxieties as the world has opened back up but she’s a pretty resilient critter who has formed a bond with our resident curf-mudgeon. As sweet as she can be, she’s vicious. We're very proud as she's just killed her first New York mouse. It was a pretty traumatizing initiation to the city. Unlike her brother, she is a competent hunter and a wonderful little cuddler. She's our little puffball. Look at that personality tail!! She loves a good morning suckle and occupying whatever chair I’ve just left.
We got married this past April in a cat-themed wedding. Cat iconography everywhere. My husband is a patient prince. We hosted it at a venue called The Boo Cat Club. We had an ice sculpture made in their likeness. I actually had this dress custom-made for the reception but the photographer didn’t get any pictures of it. The shoes were also purchased for the wedding but were too uncomfortable to wear. As soon as I saw GATC, I knew we needed a photoshoot moment.
Aubrey Murray works in marketing for Jim Beam whiskey. She loves exploring new bars and hiking upstate. She recently moved to Bushwick from Chicago with her husband and two lovely cats.