Puar | 普洱
Puar is a female domestic shorthair cat. Her name echoes the sound of ‘purr’ and is a tribute to the anime character Puar from Dragon Ball. Puar’s Chinese name, 普洱, also denotes a type of Chinese tea looks similar to her fur pattern. And puar has her instagram account: @puar_playground
I adopted her from Philly PAWS on July 22, 2017, when she was just 3 months old. Originally found near 50th Street at a tender age of one month, Puar had a distinctive 90-degree malunion (bones do not heal in their proper position) in her tail. She learned not to interfere with human food and has never knocked anything over. She is friendly to human visitors but isn’t fond of other animals. In March 2018, I brought puar back with me to China, where she now lives happily with my parents.
Moonshine | 酒月
Moonshine is a female Russian Blue cat with purebred lineage, known for her elegant posture, green eyes, and silver-blue coat. Her name is a deliberate double entendre—evoking both the quiet beauty of moonlight and the rebellious charm of moonshine, a term for high-proof liquor historically distilled in secrecy. In Chinese, she’s called 酒月, blending the poetic stillness of the moon with the warmth and boldness of drink. And Moonshine has her instagram account: @moonshine.0324.
I met Moonshine shortly after completing my PhD and relocating to Atlanta. I found her at Ubetcat, the only place at the time with a Russian Blue available. And to my surprise, her birthday turned out to be the same day as my dissertation defense. It felt like fate—she arrived just as I was beginning a new chapter in life. I registered her with TICA (The International Cat Association) to formally record her name and our relationship .