Melyanna came to live with me in the spring of 1995. She joined me as a companion for Singollo. She's the kitten of a couple of barn cats, so she comes from hearty stock. So so sweet and loving, but with ten of the sharpest claws on her front paws. It's not always fun having her in my lap if she decides to stretch her claws out, especially if I'm wearing shorts in the summer! And even heavy denim blue jeans aren't always enough. But she loves to be in my lap, so it's hard for me to say no. And she's the softest Domestic Shorthair cat I've ever felt. It's very easy to run your fingers through her fur because it feels so nice.
I do seem to have an unfortunate problem with Melyanna when it comes to Loreley: Melyanna doesn't like her. I don't understand it because Loreley is such a cutie. But then a cat's idea about what's cute is probably quite different than my idea. I know that Melyanna will eventually come to accept Loreley, and vice versa. And Luckily, Loreley usually just hisses, arches her back and then runs away. Loreley has shown that there's no permanent trauma.
Melyanna is otherwise an extremely affectionate cat. When she first arrived, she thought that fingers and hands--as well as any other appendages--were strictly playthings. We all had little kitten teeth marks and claw marks all over our hands. Luckily at the time, a one pound kitten couldn't do much damage, not even to the furniture. And she loved to attack your feet under the bed covers! I would drive her crazy jumping my feet all around, making her dive back and forth after the moving foot.
But now as an adult, she just loves to have her head and neck and back scratched. If you're patient enough, you could probably scratch Melyanna behind the ears for an hour straight.
As I mentioned, Melyanna has discovered the great outdoors, and does she ever love it. She is also very good about staying near the house. In fact, because she wants to go outside, I wouldn't dream of forcing her to stay indoors all her life. A lot can be said for safety, but I think a lot more can be said for freedom and happiness. And she is very happy playing outside.
The name Melyanna comes from J.R.R. Tolkein's The Silmarillion. Melyanna, also called Melian, was the wife of King Thingol of Doriath and the mother of Luthien Tinuviel.
Melyanna as a kitten. 
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This page was last updated in January 2002.