Obviously I’m a huge animal lover as I work at the animal rehab and rescue facility, but I believe I’ve failed to mention my own animal family.  We have 3 loving cats that I’d like to introduce to you.

NERO

He’s our oldest at almost 15 years.  He’s kind of a rescue, sort of.  A couple had him as a kitten, gave him baths and everything, then the woman found out she was pregnant and didn’t want to risk owning a cat while being pregnant.  James was the softy and brought him home.  He came to us when he was about 4 months old.  He used to lay on James’ chest when he was little, and I warned him, “One day Nero is going to be a great big kitty and will still want to lay on your chest when he weighs 15 to 20 pounds.”  Guess what?!  I was right (I love being right).  Unfortunately he’s starting his downhill slide with some endocrine issues, but he’s still a joy to have around.  His favorite toy:  Nerf gun darts.

MEEP

Back in 2011, a friend of mine had a litter of kittens, and I picked him out when he was about 3 weeks old.  Tuxedo cats are my absolute favorites.  He’s part Siamese, so he’s a talker.  Never shuts up, but can be a great conversationalist.  And with him being a boy, he really, really likes to cause trouble.  He loves to chew on white phone chargers or ear buds.  He also loves to floss his teeth with me… I’ll use one end of the string, he’ll use the other.

He’s actually our son’s cat.  Back when Meep was a kitten, before he gained all his weight and muscle, AJ thought it’d be cool to teach him to… fly.  Meep could jump 4 feet straight into the air when they were playing.  It was amazing.  He couldn’t do that now to save his life.  He’s a fat and happy 4-year-old, who still thinks I’m his surrogate mom… he comes to me for the hugs and the love and the suckling.  I used to let him curl up onto my shoulder when he was a kitten… guess where his favorite place still is.  Yep… I didn’t take my own advice to which I gave out 10 years before.  Meep follows AJ everywhere at his heels, just like a little puppy.  It’s the cutest thing.

His favorite toy is a fish net.

SHEBA

She’s the only girl of the group.  Sheba came to us about 2 years ago, I thought she had been abandoned.  It was in the middle of winter and the temperature was due to get down to 19 degrees F, and she was hanging out on our porch.  I made her a box on the porch to keep her warm, but I thought surely she had a home.  Three nights later, she was still hanging around, and it was about to get colder.  We brought her inside and she’s been with us ever since.  I actually found out who owned her, and the “owner” and I exchanged some words (I’d like to say it was pleasant, but it wasn’t). However, since then, Sheba has never left. She’s an outside kitty, which I absolutely don’t believe in for many reasons, but I can’t change how she was raised.  She still comes inside every single night to sleep with James and I, either between our heads or she will completely take over my pillow.  She gets along with Nero, but her and Meep have to stay separated.  I don’t know why, but even after 2 years, Meep will not accept her as his sister.

Sheba and I have races to the neighborhood mailbox.  She’ll give me a nice head start, but then I say, “I’m gonna beat you.”  That’s all she needs to hear… she puts it in high speed and wins every time.  She’s actually about 13.  Her favorite toy:  Anything that’s outside, from grass, to bugs, to… well, sadly, everything.

The other members of our family include 3 angelfish and 1 otocinclus (a 5-year-old sucker fish who has survived Armageddon)… I’m not as good with fish as I am with 4-legged creatures… but that’s another story…

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” — Anatole France