Andromeda keeping my place in the cookbook.
NAME ORIGIN
From the constellation.  She doesn't at all resemble the mythological figure for whom the constellation was named.
Other given names considered:  Chris suggested Wendigo, which would have suited her well.  It was, however, already in use by one of my sister's cats.
NICKNAME(S)
*Square*, Peeve.  The first nickname is due to her boxy Manx-like physique and the second to her often crabby little personality and querulous-sounding meow.
DATE OF BIRTH
July 15 (?), 1999
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Compact, petite, and attractive.  For a good deal of her life she weighed around 6.0 pounds (2.2 kg) - less than half her brother Orion's weight.  She's gained a little weight in middle age.  Physically, she reminds me a little bit of Blue Moon, the only purebred cat I've ever had.  There are striking differences in size and body type between Andromeda and Orion, despite the fact they are from the same litter.
Her fur is fine, silky, and very soft and is longer than most short-hairs but not long enough to make her a long-hair.  Because of its texture, her fur tends to stick out in little tufts, giving her a windblown, somewhat disheveled appearance.
She is quite athletic, especially for a small, stocky cat.  When she was around 9 weeks old, I found her on top of the iguana cage, 7 feet off the ground.  Chris and I accused each other of putting her up there as a joke and then forgetting about her, but ultimately, we realized she was getting between the cage and the wall and climbing up the pegboard cage back like a little bug.  
MEOW
Andromeda has quite the vocabulary.   Here are the meows she uses:
Greeting.  This is a chirpy, friendly "Mmmrrr?" noise she uses to greet us and the other cats.
Demand.  This is a series of loud, anxious-sounding meows which are definitely followed by exclamation points.  She uses these when she wants something she can't get, such as a spider on the ceiling, and every so often when she isn't sure where we are. 
Yowl.  This often follows the demand meow and is the noise a lot of cats make when they catch prey and want to tell people about it.  She frequently yowls while carrying her favorite toy in her mouth and if we both take naps at the same time, she sometimes yowls until one of us wakes up and pays attention to her.
Pre-Peeve.  This consists of one or two very irritated-sounding meows accompanied by a frown.  She sometimes uses this as a warning before going into a full Peeve.
Peeve.  This sounds very much like the noises a lot of cats make just prior to a cat fight and is loud, querulous, and angry.  Andromeda hates to be picked up, hugged, squeezed, or restrained in any way and if we do any of the above, she is guaranteed to peeve.  Often, instead of peeving, we'll hear a second or so of silence followed by a loud hissss.   Andromeda is the only cat I've had who hisses at people routinely.
She's as cute as they come, so picking her up and squeezing her is impossible to resist sometimes - plus, she's all bark and very little bite.  I have to admit that we tend to pick her up now and again just to hear her peeve, since it is so crabby-sounding it's amusing - especially since she often forgets to quit purring before she begins peeving.
PURR / BISCUITS
Purr:  Very loud and nearly constant when she is in the presence of people.
Biscuits:  She sometimes makes a few biscuits when very happy.
HISTORY
See Orion's History section.
PERSONALITY
Andromeda makes up for her lack of size by having enough personality for four cats.  Eccentric and mercurial, she goes from crabby to extravagantly affectionate in a split second.  She is the only cat I've ever heard hiss and purr simultaneously.  Her likes and dislikes are very definite and she is not at all shy about expressing them. 
She is frequently gooey-sweet and loves to sit on people and have her little face rubbed.  As a joke one day, Chris snapped his fingers and told her to "come here" like he would command a dog, and she ran right over at full speed.   We quickly discovered that she'll do it every time.
She is a Daddy's Girl and often gets very clingy and demanding with Chris.  She isn't quite as demanding with me, though she's very affectionate.
Andromeda is very outgoing, but has become more shy about meeting people as she's gotten older.  As temperamental as she is, we thought she'd have a fit when we acquired Arlo and Penelope, but she surprised us by getting along with them quite well.  Apparently she just likes kittens, as she did well with Aisling, Dubh, and Calypso also.  She doesn't do quite as well with adult cats, however, and tends to pick fights.
MEDICAL CONDITIONS
Chronic upper respiratory infection.   See Details.
HOBBIES / INTERESTS
Watching the gliders, the skink, and the outside birds; hunting bugs; destroying plastic bags; playing tag with other cats; playing in the yard; and ricocheting off the back of the sofa (she jumps up, hits the sofa back with all four feet, and launches herself quite a ways across the room).
FRIENDS
Like her brother, she tends to pick fights and doesn't seek out other cats.  She tolerates her brother sometimes and doesn't mind Molly Maguire too much.
SCARED OF THE VACUUM CLEANER?

Wary, but feels compelled to supervise me when I use it.