The stars of our next article in the Cats of Fantasy Twitter series — Comet, Blitzen & Kitten
The Cats
Next up in our Cats of Fantasy Twitter series are @JoeyTheToothIDP and his cats Comet, Blitzen, and Kitten These three felines are members of his family and some of his daughter’s favorite friends to play with. Keep reading below to learn more about each of these sweet cats.
Kitten
We’ll start with Kitten, the newest member of the family. Joey’s family rescued this seven-year-old, long-haired calico from the pound. Found in the woods as a feral kitten, she had some initial trouble adjusting to the household. Now, she likes to purr loudly and drools when she does. Kitten also drools when she’s comfortable and appears to be a fan of drooling in general.
Comet
Comet, a light and dark grey-striped Maine Coon, was a Christmas present for Joey’s daughter. Joey knew Comet would be theirs after they saw how Comet got along with Blitzen. The two of them loved to play and were instant best friends.
Comet loves feet. Well, he loves to attack feet — Joey’s in particular — nearly every morning. If we ever get that “Feets and Meats” podcast off the ground, it looks like we’ve got ourselves a mascot. Another strange behavior of Comet’s is nursing off the family dog’s nipples, which he does from time to time. Strange, indeed, but that’s par for the course for these little fur balls as we’ve seen in this article series.
Blitzen
Blitzen is also a long-haired Maine Coon. Blitzen is the original of the two Maine Coons in the household, cuddly and fluffy. While he doesn’t have many personality quirks beyond those that are normal for the breed, he is still a character.
Blitzen has been known to team up with Comet and regularly chases Kitten around the house. Kitten eventually holds her ground, hisses, and spits at the two terrorizing Maine Coons. Maine Coons themselves are an exceptional cat breed and have some traits that many other cat breeds do not.
Maine Coon
Originally, they were ship cats before making their way onto land in Maine, USA. A genetic leftover from those days is the Maine Coon’s natural affinity for water, which they continue to be fascinated by. Whether they’re joining you in the shower or holding a paw under the running faucet, these little guys love the water as a characteristic to this day.
During their time onboard the sailing ships of the past, Maine Coons were legendary for their ability to control mice and rats onboard. Their long and hardy fur coat kept them warm and comfortable even on the coldest and wettest of journeys.
When I originally went to get myself a cat this is the breed I wanted. The price tag and exceptional rarity of these cats caused me to end up getting Peanut from the Humane Society instead. Not only are Maine Coons more expensive but they are also harder to purchase due to their popularity as a breed.
Originally hailing from Maine (hence the name) and known for their mouse-hunting abilities, these exceptionally furry little guys have come to be known as “gentle giants”. Weighing as much as eighteen pounds, these cats are larger than most and incredibly furry. While beautiful, their long hair can be a nightmare with shedding during season changes, so they aren’t for everyone.
Fluffy Buddies
Their personality is described as “kittens in big catsuits,” and they are known to be playful and friendly, great with kids, and smarter than most breeds. They are devoted to their human family and are well known as the first – or second-most sought-after cat breed in the United States.
This breed is truly the Ferrari of cats and is well worth every dollar — you can expect to pay anywhere from $500-2500 for one as a kitten, depending on pedigree and availability. Maine Coons are instant members of the family – loyal, smart, funny, and great with kids. Joey got lucky with these two, that’s for sure.
From Feral to Familiar
Kitten, the long-haired Calico, started her life as a feral cat. She had to find a way to adapt to family life after surviving in the woods of New England for the first part of her life, followed by a stint in the pound. That raises a great question: we know feral cats can adapt to domesticated life but how common is it and are there ways to make that transition easier than what Joey and his wife went through?
In his background information, Joey mentioned that he and his wife separated and then acclimated Kitten to the household. They took turns sleeping with her until she was comfortable enough to roam the house unsupervised and live her new life as an indoor kitty. Was there an easier way and was it possible that Kitten would never adapt to civilized society?
The key to Kitten’s socialization was the timing. Adopting a feral, or street, cat before 16 weeks of age is a much easier task than doing so with an older cat. Past that age, behaviors can be ingrained and much harder to soften.
Also, when it comes to feral or stray cats, there are health concerns (such as potentially infectious diseases) that are exponentially more likely than with indoor cats. This makes adopting them risky to potential adopters. Long-term this means the survival of the cat would be less likely and it could also put the adopting family’s pets at risk too.
Kitten’s Socialization
The timing was right for Kitten and it would appear she got to the pound sometime before those sixteen weeks. Veterinarians recommend gradual socialization for a cat that has been in a situation like Kitten’s by following these steps:
1: Seclude them from other animals and other human members of the family that hasn’t met them yet.
2: Slowly, over time, “open up their world”. By doing this gradually instead of all at once they can adjust to the new sights, sounds, and environment at a comfortable pace instead of it being “too much”.
3: Make sure they’ve gotten all of their shots and have a clean bill of health before proceeding with introductions.
It looks like Joey and his family did it the right way and the result was another beautiful member of the family, albeit one that drools everywhere. Joey has been an awesome cat dad for many years now and is welcomed into cat society by his little critters. For that, we salute him and wish him good luck in this year’s cat league.
Kitten may have started as a feral cat but adjusted quickly and now enjoys luxury time
The Draft
Joey secured a top-five option with wide receiver, Jamar Chase
Offense
When it comes to competition in fantasy football, some are great on Twitter and crap where it matters (actually winning). Some are great at winning but crap on Twitter (that’s probably me). Very rarely, some are great at both and that’s Joey.
Not only does Joey produce top-level content and engage in thoughtful discourse on Twitter, but he also wins a lot. I’ve been in title games against Joey more than anyone else I’ve gotten to know since joining Fantasy Twitter half a decade ago. This is not his first rodeo.
Joey’s Strategy
His offensive strategy was to load up on quarterbacks since this is a Super flex league. With Jalen Hurts (QB) and Tua Tagovailoa (QB) starting and Carson Wentz (QB) as a backup, Joey secured two dual-threat quarterbacks that have offensive weapons and should be very productive this season. Wentz is there as a backup plan or bye-week replacement.
Joey also told me he targeted wide receivers early and drafted several extremely explosive options that are each capable of winning a week by themselves including Jamar Chase (WR), Terry McLaurin (WR), and Deebo Samuel (WR), along with some high-upside backup options
Joey was able to draft solid RB options, despite putting less draft capital in the position up front since RBs can be picked up via waivers as the season continued. He picked up David Montgomery (RB), Ezekiel Elliot (RB), and Clyde Edwards Helaire (RB).
Additionally, this was a league with a tight-end premium and Joey drafted with that in mind. TJ Hockenson (TE), Hunter Henry (TE), and Noah Fant (TE) gave him plenty of firepower and depth. At one of the “premium” positions in this league format, extra points are clearly on the horizon with that group of tight ends.
When we factor in the fact that Joey is a “zombie”, much like myself (he won’t die, he’ll always submit waivers, sets a lineup, and won’t make mistakes – you can’t kill him easily), I already know a playoff rendezvous is likely on the horizon and a title run is very possibly in the cards for him.
Joey is betting big on a huge second year from Nick Bolton
IDP
We all know @JoeyTheToothIDP has been an IDP writer for years now. Joey has more clicks than most and parlayed his work in IDP writing into a sweet gig at footballguys.com after many successful years here at IDPGuys.
Joey knows his stuff on the defensive end of things, and his draft strategy shows it. His strategy included the following:
- He went after three down linebackers (due to their positional scarcity in this format)
- Joey punted at defensive end (due to their abundance in this format)
- Joey saved safety and corner for last since they’re always available in any format.
Joey ended up going with Dre’Mont Jones (DT) for defensive tackle. This choice feels a little risky but could pay off. He drafted Nick Bolton (LB), Zaven Collins (LB), Logan Wilson (LB), and Deion Jones (LB) as his all-important three-down linebackers. After punting the defensive end, Joey still managed to grab Brian Burns (DE) and Shaq Barrett (DE) with Markus Golden (DE) as a late-round depth piece or bye-week fill-in. Not bad at all.
At safety, he drafted Antoine Winfield (S), Nick Cross (S), and Grant Delpit (S). This is a great mix of young talent and dice rolls that could be very productive this season. If Delpit or Cross don’t do what we think they are capable of, Joey will easily be able to blast them out of the airlock and find an in-season replacement.
For his cornerback, Joey drafted Rasul Douglas (CB). Rasul Douglas (CB), with the Packers, is up against the Vikings in week one at Minnesota. Those two high-octane offenses should combine for a ton of fireworks. The Douglas pick is a great example of a perfect cornerback stream and an option Joey was able to draft much later overall. Well done all around.
Conclusion
Joey knows what he’s doing. He’ll be fine: he targeted the right positions at the right time. More importantly, he’ll make those all-important in-season adjustments that will allow him to compete all season long and be in the conversation for the championship when it’s all said and done.
The draft is a very little piece of the overall pie. The league is won is in week-to-week management. Joey has years of experience in that department, and he will be a tough team to beat this season in the Cat League.
Thank you for reading this entry in the Cats of Fantasy Twitter article series! There are more to come, as fast as I can get them out. A special thank you to @JoeyTheToothIDP for joining me on this insane journey. Make sure you go check out his work, and we wish him luck in this year’s cat league.
Keep an eye out for the next installment in this series! It will be here as soon as I can write it, and Faith can edit it and send it. Until next time!
