Kat Li, Biggie & Smalls
Left to right: Smalls, Kat, Biggie
Both my partner and I had cats growing up, so it was no surprise that almost as soon as we moved in together, he suggested we adopt a cat. We went to the shelter in San Francisco intending to come home with one cat, but fell in love with a pair of calico sisters that were touted as “a bonded pair”. Having lived with them for over 7 years now, this was clearly just an effective 2-for-1 marketing scheme, as they are not particularly affectionate, or demonstrably a bonded pair in any way. They don’t cuddle or sleep together, and in the rare off-chance one grooms the other, it very quickly devolves into a fight.
It took us over a week to settle on names for them, but we eventually landed on Biggie and Smalls. Their names are not ironic—Smalls is petite, a shorter-haired calico with gorgeous teal-green eyes, and Biggie, is larger, with long luxurious hair and the same beautiful eyes. Fun fact—my partner didn’t grow up in the US and had no idea who Biggie Smalls was when I suggested their names 😇 We never tried to teach them their names but they actually learned them (and each other’s) remarkably quickly. They come basically any time we call, which is incredible recall compared to our dog who we actually did try to train to come when called.
Although Biggie was initially more outgoing and affectionate, after about a month of living with us, Smalls timidly climbed into my lap, started purring, and immediately won over my heart. She’s been “my” cat ever since. Once she bonded with me, she became the more confident cat, affectionate, and less frightened by strangers. We initially adopted them because Biggie was so outgoing and beautiful, but now Smalls is my baby and will quietly sleep next to me on the couch or bed, including when I take a nap. She’ll gently ask for a few pets before she’s satisfied, but will never say no to butt scratches. Meanwhile, Biggie considers herself my partner’s cat and will happily hop onto his desk whenever he’s working, walk across his keyboard, get in front of his camera during video calls, and do anything it takes for some head scratches. It’s a good ego check that we may think we humans choose our cats when the truth is, they get the final say in whether or not to choose us back.
In 2019, we decided to pack our bags and move to New York and they moved across the country with us. The flight was an unmitigated disaster—although they had been given anti-anxiety medicine, mid-way through the red-eye flight they woke up and were able to muscle their way out of their carriers. Although they were luckily attached to the carriers and couldn’t get too far, there were sitcom-level moments of absurdity as we tried to fix the carrier zippers just before landing. I’ve always maintained if we do move from New York, we’re driving them next time.
Although they can start off shy with strangers, they love attention and will proactively seek it out by climbing right into your lap and head-butting your laptop away. Our guests are often surprised when one or both will try to join them in bed every evening, loudly purring away. Both Biggie and Smalls love those few weeks in the spring and fall when the temperature is just right and we open our living room windows. They’ll sit on the ledge for hours watching the outside world and tracking any birds who go by.
During the pandemic, we brought home a little puppy sister who often gets up in their faces, but they’ve tolerated her with remarkable feline grace and affected disinterest, allowing us to keep the fragile peace in our little Nolita apartment.
Kat studied Linguistics and Psychology and is currently a product manager. When not planning her next meal, she enjoys discussing linguistic relativity and container gardening. She splits her time between Honolulu and New York.