Pooja Viswanathan
For this issue, Natural Selections interviews House and Kima, the forever kittens who live with me (Freiwald lab, the Rockefeller University), and sometimes, with my partner, Scott Rennie.
Pooja Viswanathan: How old are you? In human years?
Kima: We don’t know exactly, but the humans guess about 1 in human years. In cat years, we are teenagers.
PV: What are the names we gave you?
House: My name is Gregory Mouser House, MD. I was named after a very important and smart doctor that I remind my humans of.
K: My name is Kima Lima Greggs. I was named after a fictional character in the Wire, a TV show my humans like.
PV: What is your first memory?
H: I wasn’t feeling well, I was very sick. The humans who found me looked very concerned, but they were talking about youth in Asia.
K: I remember a shop window and humans brought me inside that shop. You told me it was the Petco at Lexington and 86th.
PV: Do you remember when we first met?
H: We met on a Saturday afternoon. I was sleepy, but I was also hungry, so I was falling asleep with my head buried in the food bowl. Scott decided right away that I was going to be your kitten.
K: I was meowing with my older cat friends in my foster home when you and Scott came to visit. You had already decided to adopt me, so I knew you wouldn’t mind me pooping in front of you.
PV: What did you think of each other when you first met?
H: I thought she was a great playmate to have in my apartment. We wanted to play together instantly.
K: Hated him. Maybe you don’t remember, but he used to be smelly, and acted like he owned the place.
PV: Where do you live?
K: We live with you! In Scholar’s residence. Sometimes we live in Philadelphia with Scott. Scott is a postdoc at UPenn.
PV: If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would you live?
K: Anywhere that both of our humans could live together. With any other animals we might grow to tolerate.
H: Where there are lots of things to hunt.
PV: What are your favorite foods?
K: House will try anything once, even things that never moved like carrots or avocadoes.
H: Kima’s favorite food is whatever’s on my dish. She hates tuna though. Don’t try to give her tuna.
PV: What is your favorite weekend activity?
H: I like to chase Kima around.
K: I like quiet time to myself.
PV: Besides us, who is your favorite human in the Tri-I community?
K: Natalie is very sweet. She lives with us and feeds us when you’re gone.
H: Natalie, Sofia, Tara, Margie, Liz, Vero, Madi, and Ceren are a few I can think of right away.
PV: Do you have a funny story to share with us?
H: One time we went somewhere and came back with cones around our heads. It was fun to try to get them off. Kima looked so funny.
K: That wasn’t funny at all. You know what’s funny? Every time the humans flush the toilet, House thinks it’s a great big monster. He runs to the farthest corner of the apartment.
PV: Is there some way others can see more pictures of you online?
K: Yes, you have an Instagram account @majorpooper where you upload pictures and videos of us.
PV: If you could have any human ability, what would it be?
H: I have all human abilities.
K: I wish I could close the door on House whenever I wanted.