Our cats live inside with us. A few of them would really like to be outside but there are just too many dangers out there. Ask Binks. He was trapped by a neighbor once and spent 5 days at animal control. We’ll start with the oldest and go to the youngest. Simon is going to be 18 and we’ve had him since he was 10. He was a client’s cat and we were just “keeping him for a while” until she got back on her feet. She was embarking on a new career as a truck driver and couldn’t take him along. The first day I had him home I knew I wasn’t letting him go. We had worried about acclimating him as he’d never lived with dogs before. The first day we found him asleep on the bed right in the middle of a pile of pups. He certainly wasn’t worried about it. Simon’s a seal-point Siamese and is super sweet. He gives great back massages and just purrs and kisses when you hold him.

This is Sarah Baby Cat. Ramirez raised her from 4 weeks old. He was quite the cat daddy. She was as enamored of him as he was of her and they remained that way his whole life.

She is probably around 12 or 13 now. Sarah lives in our bedroom and refuses to socialize with the rest of the family. She tolerates Kobay and a few of the dogs but prefers her own place. She has everything she needs, Hi-Def television, food, litter box, king-sized bed – why go anywhere? She has her moments, she’ll ask to be petted then lash out and bite you before you even know it.

Big Daddy Binks looks like her twin but he’s not. Actually, they don’t even like one another. He showed up at the TV station one day, walked in with my boss, followed him through the building to his office. When he curled up in the chair to nap, Don called me to come do something. He wasn’t a kitten so it’s harder to pinpoint his age. We think he’s also around 13 or so. Binks is one of Scottie’s loves. He reminds him of his childhood cat, QBert. I’ll admit Binks has some cool characteristics. He gives head butts to those he likes and admires. He’ll bop the dogs on the butt as they pass by, just because. He’s the one who had to stop his traveling ways after being trapped.

The World’s Greatest Cat is, without a doubt, Kobayashi Maru Phooey X. She’s our lilac-point Siamese and was one of those divine intervention situations. We’d been pet sitting for two lilac-point Siamese and fell in love. I happened to mention to my friend that runs the shelter that one day I’d like one. About a week later she called and told me to come up – she had 9 lilac point Siamese cats! Good grief! A breeder had died and the family wouldn’t take her kitties. Kobay was 9 months old, still nursing on her mother and was in terrible shape. So, being the most pitiful, she’s the one I chose. She lived her first month with us on my chest (she got better, I got sick). Have I mentioned I’m allergic to cats? Ramirez once again became the cat daddy and he helped me nurse her back to health while keeping the other dogs away. She’s around 11 now, I’m guessing. She has asthma and sees cross-eyed most times. She’s our ninja-cat and gets along with all the others, yet will quickly kick their butt if need be. She still sleeps atop one of us and used to sleep on Ramirez. She is simply awesome!

Last,  but not least is Baby Nut Butters. Scottie came upon her on a cold night at a client’s house. She was sitting out in the yard, all alone, crying and only a few months old. He could find no mother cat or littermates. He called me and said in the most pitiful way, “This baby cat is breaking my heart”. So we set up a trap with a crate and captured her in the middle of the night. She came during the last few months of Jack’s life. Part of his medication was massive amounts of steroids which made him a little crazy and ravenously hungry. He really wanted to eat Baby Nut. She’s more of a wild cat than the others but she adores to be snuggled and petted. She’s the first to hide if something’s going on, though. She’s our youngster at the age of 7. Binks is her man.

Next post will be the critters.