Smoky the Cat™

Hello, new friend!
I’m so excited to meet you! I’m Smoky, the Persian Cat.

This is the story of how I got my name, and so much more. I used to be a beautiful, golden, fluffy long-haired cat who lived under the stairs of a café. Cafegoers would admire my caramel-latte colored fur, and I loved their strokes and oohs and aahs. But, after being caught in a fire that consumed my café home one night, I was left a scorched, discolored cat. My golden coat was gone, replaced with an ashy gray, stringy, and strange one.

Negative thoughts engulfed me: I’m ugly. I’m the wrong color, the wrong size, the wrong type of cat. No one loves me anymore. No one ever will. Homeless and friendless, I wandered the streets aimlessly, searching for a new place to call home. One day, I wandered into a warehouse, empty except for several tables filled with colorful bottles and brushes. “OMG!” A human with brightly colored hair suddenly came rushing toward me, eyes wide and hands open. I curled back at first, but the human extended a gentle hand and smiled.

“Well, aren’t you a quirky-looking kitty? I’m the make-up artist that runs this place, and I’ve worked with tons of models. But I’ve never seen anyone quite like you. Dark like charcoal but with light streaks too. You’re so… smoky!”

The artist’s eyes lit up too. “You’re the perfect color palette for my new line of eyeshadow, just what I need to achieve a smoky eye! You beautiful cat, where have you been all my life?” The artist smiled again, this time scooping me up and holding me close to their chest. “How do you feel about the name Smoky?”

Comforted by the warmth and love radiating from the artist’s body, I couldn’t help but nuzzle into the embrace and new name, too. The artist carefully dried my hair until it was fluffy again and combed it until the singed bits fell off and all that was left was healthy locks. When I saw my reflection again, I almost didn’t recognize the cat staring back at me. This cat had a shining gray coat and even a colorfully dyed tail. I didn’t look anything like the cat that had lived at the coffee shop… but I was beautiful, nonetheless.

I became a make-up assistant, striking poses and helping the artist select the perfect shades of black, white, and gray needed for their new line of smoky eyeshadow. As time passed, I became adored by artists, models, and aspiring make-up enthusiasts everywhere.

For the first time in a long time, I felt loved by the people around me. And perhaps more importantly, I felt truly beautiful in my own skin. I hope that here at TAMMIRA, you can feel that way about yourself, too.

Xoxo,
Smoky