Ilana Kohn, Harry, Mo & Lil
Ah! Harry, Mo, and Lil! I adopted brothers Harry and Mo from Brooklyn Bridge Rescue about 6.5 years ago soon after my first cat Wally Dude (a former bodega cat!) passed away from complications of FeLV. I was working from home at the time and the thought of working alone was just too much. After reaching out to BBR, I was directed to a lady in Park Slope who had an ENTIRE room full of kittens in her basement. The moment she opened the door to the kitten room, Harry was the very first one to run up and greet me like a maniac. He had a seriously naughty sparkle in his eye and a personality larger than life. I knew he was the ONE. His brother Mo was so much more quiet and reserved but totally lovey-dovey. I immediately decided on them, stinky ringworm treatment ‘n all!
About six months later I was on my way home one day and there was a little kitten just hanging out in the middle of the sidewalk while this guy was busy tending to his front yard. Of course, I squealed and stopped and the guy started chatting with me, telling me how great and friendly she was. He mentioned that he’d tried to adopt her, but his cat just was NOT having it, so he and his wife had continued to take care of her as their stoop cat. He invited me to take her home and sucker that I am, I scooped her up on the spot and brought her home thinking it would be a temporary foster situation (she was way too friendly to be out on the street?!). It just so happened that the boys immediately took to her though, so that was that.
Fast forward a year, we’re walking to the farmer’s market and run into that same man and his wife right outside their brownstone. They remember Lil and me and are enthusiastically asking all about her and how she’s doing. We’re updating them and spamming them with all the cat pics. About five minutes in I realize it’s Rosie Perez and Eric Haze. So yeah, technically I guess I can say I got Lil from Rosie Perez and Eric Haze!
“I feel it’s important to address the fact that all three ding dongs are gray tuxedos. I guess I have a type!”
Right after I found Lil, I took her to Who’s Your Doggy for a much-needed bath, and Julia who runs Team Tiny BK was the manager there. Turns out Julia had been keeping tabs on Lil for a while when one day Lil just disappeared. Julia was pretty sad obviously thinking the worst. When I showed up at the shop with her, Julia was SO stoked! There she’d been, imagining all the worst-case scenarios, when Lil had actually been scooped up and adopted. Fairy-tale ending! She ended up taking Lil to get spayed and vaccinated through BBR for me. She’s an angel.
I feel it’s important to address the fact that all three ding dongs are gray tuxedos. I guess I have a type! Wally Dude was a gray tux so I’m sure that played a part in me falling for Harry and Mo. And I guess I was more easily suckered in with Lil, her being a gray tux as well. In order to tell them apart, I tell people that Harry is the one with the gray nose and chin and Mo is the regal one with the crazy eyes. Lil is easy, she’s the fat one-eyed cat.
While they look similar, their personalities could not possibly be more different! Harry is the life of the party. He’s FEARLESS and the most easy-going cat. He’s also my number one cuddle buddy. If I’m in bed or lying on the couch, he wants to be curled up in my arms like a stinky little teddy bear. He also has the funniest meow that sounds more like a croak/dinosaur than a meow. Then there’s Mo. Mo is generally pretty shy and skittish but once he gets comfortable, he’s a pretty aggressive head-butting love bug. He loves nothing more than when I pick him up and carry him around. He especially likes to be picked up if I’m sitting on the toilet. And greenies. He lives for the greenies. Last but not least! There’s Lil, my not so little Lil bean! She always comes when I call her. She’ll just waddle on over, say hi, and give me a little head butt or lick and then go back to whatever she was doing which was probably napping. Or eating.
Ilana Kohn is the founder and designer at Ilana Kohn, a Brooklyn based clothing brand.