Cyclops came along sometime in 1989 - I was feeding our small group of outdoor kitties in the carport when I noticed a strange cat pushing her way between the cats, aggressively making her way to the nearest bowl and helping herself to the food.  It was very obvious that this cat was extremely hungry and I certainly was not going to keep her from joining in.  We couldn't help but notice right away that her right eye had an oblique appearance to it and wondered if she had any sight with it.   After that first day, Cyclops arrived on the scene daily to participate in the outdoor feeding - it wasn't long before we bestowed the name of Cyclops on her - after the one-eyed mythological creature.  And, of course, it wasn't long before she turned out to be pregnant, producing a beautiful litter of gray and white kittens in March of 1990.  Of the litter, just one survived after several incidents which included a stray cat entering the utility room where Cyclops kept her babies and attacking them with no provocation.   We kept the surviving kitten and named her Critter, and she was with us until she went to the Bridge in November 1999. 
     Cyclops was spayed sometime after she had her litter and while at the vet's, we asked that her injured eye be examined.  We were told that the damage was most likely the result of a cat or dog fight and were assured although she has little or no vision with it, she was in no pain from it.
Cyclops evolved into one of our indoor-outdoor cats, although she mostly prefers being outside, even during our scorching Florida summers.  We have no idea how old Cy is, but we estimate her to be around 15 years of age.
     Some years ago, she miraculously survived a BB shot wound through her jaw (by an unknown cowardly assailant) followed by a very serious bout of cat influenza.   One day when Cyclops did not eat either her morning meal nor her afternoon meal, I became concerned -- Cy has never been one to miss many meals.  Because she was also displaying signs of listlessness, Rodger and I took her to the vet's and that's when we were told about the BB still lodged beneath her mouth.  We were incredulous that something like this had happened to her.  The on duty vet was not able to remove it and I just couldn't believe we were going to lose her.  The owner of the clinic came up and asked if he could step in and I just pleaded, "Please try everything you can - please save her."  He came back into the waiting area within several minutes and triumphantly held up the BB - I was so relieved, so grateful.  I felt like Cyclops had been given back to us.  But then - while recovering in the clinic afterwards, she came down with a severe case of URI (upper respiratory infection) and almost did not recover from that.  It  was like a double whammy.....fortunately, she eventually returned to good health.
     From the very beginning, this kitty has just exuded sweetness....she loves cuddling and just enjoys being around people.  She's also a lap warmer, but sometimes she tends to get a little too forceful with her kneading paws.  And although she's a gentle cat with a sweet disposition, we have seen her in action when she has had to fiercely defend herself and those around her. 
     No one would ever say that Cyclops would come out the winner in a beauty pageant - but we don't care--Cyclops is the winner of our hearts.