Hobbes Motchan is an unassuming black domestic shorthair cat. Four years ago, as he achieved bar mitzvah age (for a human), Hobbes fulfilled an important Jewish obligation. He swiftly and quietly dispatched of two mice. After midnight while asleep, I thankfully was unaware of the carnage.
Although he has lived exclusively indoors, instinct took over and instantly, Olivette was rid of a pair of rodents. Hobbes did what his mispuchah did in biblical times, thus garnering respect from learned clergy. Cats were also praised for their modesty, according to The Torah.com. The sage R. Johanan (third century C.E.): wrote “If the Torah had not been given, we could have learned modesty from the cat.”
Other Talmudic references note that cats were kept as pets in Babylonia. They were excellent companions, known for their fastidious nature. Cats were also seen in ancient times as possessing spiritual and emotional healing qualities. Those qualities are present in Aviv, who shares a home with Will Soll and his wife Kalanit Chappell.
“I really wanted a cat when I stopped my cancer treatment, as kind of a prize,” said Chappell, who belongs to Congregation Bais Abraham. “Before I stopped treatment, this cat started coming around, and we called her Aviv, because it was springtime. One day I was taking a walk around the neighborhood, and she followed me home.”
Aviv, a tortoise-shell cat, was not a stray, but rather a traveler of sorts whose real home was nearby. She much preferred the Soll-Chappell digs, though, so that’s where she stays.
“She was meant to be with me,” Chappell said. “She’s my beshert cat.”
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Soll and Chappell also have two other Jewish cats who preceded Aviv.
“Our first cat was Alfie,” said Chappell, who originally thought the orange tabby was a tough guy.
“We named him after the Jewish character Alfie on ‘Peaky Blinders,’ and we just thought those personalities were perfect. He’s kind of independent, he kind of does his own thing. A couple years later, we got Lenny, and we learned Alfie’s not as tough as we thought he was. Lenny is black and we named him after Lenny Kravitz, because he is an especially handsome cat, and we happen to think that Lenny Kravitz is also especially handsome.”
Unlike Lenny Kravitz, Lenny Soll-Chappell does not exhibit any musical talent, but he does chirp periodically. He never hisses, and he never meows. Perhaps he is trying to mimic Soll, a musician.
The number 16 in the Hebrew alphabet (ayin) symbolizes the eye of G-d. It is sometimes associated with the ability to see things not visible to the naked eye. Frankie the Jewish shopcat achieved the age of 16 this week. Although she is blind, the calico beauty who oversees STLStylehouse in south St. Louis appears quite stately and in control of her kingdom on a recent visit.
Jeff Vines, co-owner of STLStyle (and subordinate to Frankie) said the feline executive officer of the business entered his world in 2010.
“Our friend found her in an alley off of Jefferson,” said Vines. “At first, he was calling her Sasha, but it didn’t seem to fit. So, he just called her Frankie, and we never changed it.”
Frankie is so popular with STLStyle customers, she claims an entire line of merch, including a T-shirt.
“We’ve already sold out of the lapel pins that we just advertised today,” Vines said. “People come now just to visit her. There used to be this app called Shop Cats. It was worldwide and Frankie was featured on it. We had no idea that app even existed until people started coming in and saying, ‘I found this on Shop Cats,’ so she’s famous.”
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