Abby

Here is Abby, looking sweet as can be.  I chose this picture because I love her beautiful amber eyes and her long white whiskers.  Abby is a Manx and quite small.  She only weighs four pounds at eight years old.  She is the oldest of the cats at Manx Mnews and the Alpha cat, though she was the last to be adopted.  I learned from reading about Abby that not only are Manx cats tailless, their internal structure is a bit different, making them a bit more high maintenance than "regular" cats.  Abby was in her first home for three years, but her people decided that they didn't want to take care of her any more, due to the extra care that she required.  They gave her to some neighbors, with whose six-year old Abby had bonded.  She stayed there for another three years, but the father of the family never really liked her and made the poor little girl take her to a shelter.  The problem this time was that she was too affectionate and wanted attention too often to suit him.  Her forever Mom saw her there and fell in love with her immediately.  This was a little ironic, as she had gone to the shelter to look for a cat with a long, floofy tail.  Abby was delighted to be out of the shelter, but not at all happy to find out that she hadn't been taken back to her little girl.  In time, though, a very strong bond has developed between her and her Mom.  Abby soon took over as Alpha cat, despite her small size, by being a no-nonsense type of girl.  She now gets along pretty well with the other cats, though she and Boo have frequent disagreements.  Abby can stop Ping and Jinx from play-fighting with a glare and an aggressive posture if she thinks they are getting too rough.  Abby never learned to play with toys, but she loves her cardboard scratcher and the nip.  She still tears around the house as if her butt were on fire on occasion.

                                        Abby is the Alpha Manx,
                                        For which the other cats give thanks.
                                                She can stop a brawl
                                                With effort so small.
                                        Abby really gets respect from the ranks.