West Side Mews: Folly & Oakley – Storybook Cats Living a Fairytale Life on the UWS

By Victoria Cumings

Kitties Folly and Oakley come from very different backgrounds but now share a lovely home on the Upper West Side with their devoted and talented pet mom, the author of a children’s book series about shelter and rescue pets called Pet Pals.

Folly in fact had her beginnings with another author, Ann M. Martin, who wrote the famous Baby-Sitters Club novels. Ms. Martin had been fostering a mama cat and Folly, a beautiful gray tabby, was the only girl from the litter of kittens born in the writer’s house. Her soon-to-be pet mom, who was searching for an addition to her fur family and learned about Folly from Facebook, had been a big fan of the Baby-Sitters Club books so was thrilled to meet Ms. Martin and give Folly her forever home.

Oakley, on the other hand, had a rougher start to life, having been found alone and abandoned in a barn in South Jersey. As soon as her pet mom, who had been looking for a pal for Folly, saw Oakley’s photo on Petfinder, with her pretty gray/tan coloring and cute ear tufts, that was that – she picked Oakley up from the retired vet who had been caring for her and brought her home to join sister Folly as a Manhattanite.

The children’s book theme certainly permeates much of the kitties’ lives. They are named after musicals featuring the incomparable Bernadette Peters: Folly for Follies, and Oakley for Annie Oakley from Annie Get Your Gun (especially appropriate since Oakley was found in the ‘Wild West’ of NJ!). She may not be as famous for it, but the accomplished Ms. Peters has also written books, and accompanying songs on CDs, featuring rescue dogs. Fun fact: she is co-founder (with Mary Tyler Moore) of the animal charity organization, Broadway Barks.

Once one gets to know the two, it’s obvious Folly and Oakley’s starts in lives influenced much of their character today. Folly, now 12, is the cool-as-a-cucumber captain of the household. Having spent her first few months in the safety and comfort of Ms. Martin’s house, nestled with her mother cat in quiet surrounds, Folly has enjoyed being cared for and catered to from Day 1. Oakley, not having led such a charmed life initially, is more street smart. Now 3 ½, she personifies her barnyard roots, being feisty and spirited, though also somewhat skittish. Oakley craves attention and is ‘aggressively affectionate’, clawing and kneading at her mom, emitting a squeaky high-pitched meow as if to say ‘me, me, me!’.

Oakley is also more active than Folly, leaping and jumping at feather wands, showing her strength and athleticism. Folly likes to play too, however she prefers to do it whilst sitting or lying down, batting at her toys from a relaxed reclined position, in order to exert minimal effort. This may have something to do with Folly being on the chunkier side, with a petite frame but plenty of chub (possibly from constantly trying to steal Oakley’s dinner). Oakley, with longer limbs, and being younger and more rambunctious, is more like one big moving muscle.

Perhaps due to her lonelier start to life, Oakley has an adorable stuffed ‘ducky’ that she carries around to comfort her and make her feel secure — an emotional support animal for an animal! A fun game for Oakley is dunking ducky into her water bowl and then fishing her out and tossing her around the room. Cats certainly know how to keep themselves entertained, their hilarious antics also providing non-stop amusement for their pet people.

In line with their showtime-related names, both cats are quite musically inclined and are especially adept at recognizing cellphone ringtones. A song from the Broadway show Into the Woods is set for when the doorman calls. When they hear this, Folly and Oakley scatter to hide until the threat of a possible ‘intruder’ is gone. Mom has tested them a number of times and found they are indeed able to associate the tune with the event – what clever girls!

Whilst it would be wonderful to say the sisters are best of friends, their relationship is more love/hate, with Oakley being somewhat obsessed with Folly, but never having her interest reciprocated. Queen Bee Folly makes clear she finds Oakley’s unruliness and overall presence downright annoying, which can bring out some spitefulness in the otherwise sweet and calm girl. It seems this is directed solely at Oakley as when Folly was adopted she joined a dog, Gypsy, and the two were best friends. After Gypsy passed, however, and Oakley came into the picture a year later, Folly has had to deal with a competing cat. She clearly misses being an ‘only child’ and, as the alpha, isn’t shy about making it known she is The Heir and Oakley The Spare.

As the source of much of their mom’s inspiration for her writing, both Folly and Oakley have had characters based on them, as well as books dedicated to them. Buttons the cat, for example, looks like Oakley but has a personality more like Folly. A new book, Gus’s Escape, dedicated to Oakley, was recently released, see here. Each time a Pet Pals book comes out, their mom partners with animal shelters and rescues across the country for a #PetPalsParty. She sends them a signed copy of the book, and they pose with it with one of their adoptable pets, to promote adoption.

As their pet mom works half the week from home, she gets to enjoy seeing the cats settle in for their daily afternoon nap, though usually with one on a chair and one on the couch, always separate. The only time the two sit close is if there is some external hazard, such as if a noisy worker comes into the apartment and they need to huddle to hide from the enemy. Mom hopes someday Folly and Oakley will become better friends and sleep snuggled together, though those with two unrelated adult female cats may know this is probably wishing thinking.

Both kitties, however, are very attached to their mom and equally lavished with affection. The girls have a good time playing the ‘Party Mix game’, or getting a little freeze-dried salmon in exchange for a chirp or a high-five. When it comes to spa time, Folly lets mom trim her nails whilst Oakley is treated to manicures at the vet. To avoid Folly getting hairballs, mom brushes her, compensating her with a treat for sitting still. Oakley refuses to be brushed but gets a treat anyway, just for being such a special girl. The kitties also have the luxury of visiting their mom’s parents’ house in the suburbs and a condo by the shore. From perches at their country homes, Folly and Oakley enjoy watching birds and soaking in the serenity of being outside the city.

Folly and Oakley – – yet to become admirers of each other, but with a mom who loves them dearly and a fanbase from their books!

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