Angel - Adopted as a 3 month
old kitten from a Central PA
farm in Dec. 1997.  A Christmas gift from my sister and her daughters after my best friend and confidant of 15 years, Chipper, passed on 6 months earlier.  Angel was just a bit wild at first but now is very loving.  Her previous owners claimed she is part Main Coon.

Happy Sunshine (top) & Cookie (bottom) - Rescued as tiny kittens along with sister Punkin from under our neighbor's deck in Summer 1999 (we never knew what happened to their mother).  Punkin was adopted by my sister and her daughters.  These two, especially Cookie, are extremely loving and purr almost constantly!  In fact, Cookie's nickname is Lovie.

Stubby & Creamsicle - Winter of 2001/2002 these two brothers, at approx. 3 months old, were taking shelter in our garage where I kept a box with old blankets, food and water, and a kerosene heater for a bit of warmth, for the stray cats.  I was able to trap them and they resided in our basement for about the next year while I worked diligently at taming them.  Fraser Fur, whom they adored, played a large part as well.  I thought Stubby would never come around, but now he's actually the more trusting of the two.

Orange Cat (Formerly known as Orange Garage Cat) also moved into our garage over the winter of 2001/2002.  We thought he was approx. 2-3 years old at the time.  He eventually moved into our house, altho he still likes to go out occasionally.  Fortunately, he tends to stick around the house. 

Gracie (left) and Boo Boo (right) - These two siblings, perhaps approx. 1-2 years old at the time, started hanging out in our garage in August 2004.  We believe they were outdoor cats whom a neighbor was watching over.  However, Boo Boo was bleeding behind both ears so we caught them both and took them to our vet.  They thought Boo Boo's bleeding was from scratching at fleas.  It turns out Gracie was "fixed" but Boo Boo wasn't, so we had him neutered.  Both turned out to be extremely loving cats, altho Gracie gets upset whenever any of the other cats, especially Stubby, get in her "personal bubble".  (P.S. The Dachshund Gracie is sitting on isn't real - it's a replica we found that looks a lot like Boopie did.)

Mommy Cat - Almost the very minute we checked into our yearly vacation rental house in Ocean City, MD, August 2007, we found out there was a mommy cat and her three kittens living in the back yard.  I quickly found out that the City has extremely limited resources for animal control so I ended up spending practically the entire week trying to capture these precious kitties, purchasing supplies from the local Wal-mart and taking them to a local vet.  I don't even think I was on the beach that entire week!  Then I had to beg my sister and her daughter to drive down Friday and take them back home Saturday to Central PA as we were going on to our 2nd week of vacation.  Once back home, after Mommy was done nursing, I was able to find loving homes for her 3 kittens.  However, Mommy, altho still quite timid,  has remained a very beloved member of our family. 

Simon - Jan. 2009 we noticed Simon was living in our neighbor's empty dog box.  We believe he was abandoned by other neighbors when they moved away.  Upon close inspection, we realized that his previous owners had all four of his paws declawed!  What an awful thing to do to a cat and then release him into the wild.  Needless to say, Simon immediately became the next member of our family.  He appears to be an incredibly beautiful Siamese & orange tabby mix and is extremely loving and friendly (except with Orange Cat!).  He has beautiful blue eyes and is extremely cross-eyed.  I found out this is a trait that was common in the early Siamese breed (as well as a kinked tail) but was largely eliminated over the years thru selective breeding.  Unfortunately he also insists on going outside and will spray at the doors if we don't let him.  So, while we try to keep him in at night,  we have to allow him out some during the day and try to keep a very close eye on him.  But he's such a beautiful, loving cat it's worth it!

Eddie - We adopted Eddie from our local Humane Society in April 2009 as we felt Romeo needed a friend.  They thought Eddie was a Terrier/German Shepherd mix and was only about a year old and he showed it!  He has extremely long legs for a small dog (I call him "Daddy Long Legs"!) and he is like a Mexican Jumping Bean - I swear he must jump 5 feet in the air!  Hopefully he will eventually settle down.  In the meantime, he has become a great friend and wrestling partner to Romeo, who was beginning to become quite spoiled and sluggish after being an "only dog" for almost two years.

Muffin - This little ragamuffin showed up on our doorstep first thing in the morning August 17,2009.  We think she may have hitched a ride home underneath a neighbor's camper when they returned from a camping trip that morning.  This poor sweetheart looked to be approx. 8 months old, weighed barely 4 1/2 pounds and was so flea infested she had scratched off much of the fur around her neck, bottom, and tail.  We immediately took her to our vet who claimed she was approx. 5 years old!  She apparently had a home at some point as she was not only spayed, but is extremely friendly and sweet-natured.  One curious thing about her is that when she meows, no noise comes out!

Black Beauty - Once again, when I checked in to the vacation rental house in Ocean City, MD, in Aug. 2009, I was informed that there was a cat hanging around.  They said that she had been dropped off - but not to worry because the local residents were taking care of her.  This incredibly beautiful and friendly cat hung out with us all week and there was no way I could leave her to a life on the street.  Once again I made trips to Wal-Mart and the local vet, and she returned home with me at the end of the week - even tho I was told I was not allowed to bring home another cat!