*** Mini Challenge #702 Living Things - Other then Human ***

Since these are for exhibit only, maybe you'll indulge me a little bit.

These are our furry family members, in chronological order -- past and present. Apologies in advance for the number of (mostly cellphone) images...

K.C. (Kitty Cat) 1989-2005

Right after we got married, we lived in an apartment complex next door to the local animal shelter. Well, you know what happened... K.C. basically adopted us as a little black kitten who refused to leave our doorstep. She lived 16 years. Here, she's helping with the ironing.

Little Bit 1989-2008

Little Bit was another animal shelter escapee. He looked like a little pile of grey vacuum cleaner fuzz, shivering on the open-air stairs at our apartment building one December. Obviously he found his place! He lived to be 19. This was his preferred activity: Holding down the floor...

Wobble 2003- 2019

Wobble's left rear leg was stunted, just an L-shaped bone covered in skin and fur. It didn't bother him, though. He showed up at our house just before we went out of town on a long weekend. We said, "If he's still here when we return..." Guess what. So we ended up with the world's sweetest three-legged, emerald-colored cross-eyed kitty. I suspect he had a lot of Russian Blue in him. He lived to be almost 17 years old.

Harry 2005-2005

Harry was named for my wife's uncle, under whose house he was found. A very sweet little Siamese fellow, he apparently had heart worms and passed away suddenly one morning at approximately two months of age. Here's my daughter having a hug with him a couple of weeks before he went.

Charmin 2005-2022

Named by the lady who adopted her to us, Charmin was indeed squeezably soft. She was The World's Cutest Kitten (TM) and before she passed had been a diva, queen of the household and finally a sweet little old lady. Here she's about two years old and in her prime. I called this shot "Mount Charmin" -- I could just imagine some tiny mountaineers clambering up her slopes. She was 16 1/2 when it was time.

Albert 2008-

Albert was one of four in a litter abandoned by their mother after Hurricane Gustav blew through our area in August 2008. We adopted little "Tabitha" only to have her miraculously change gender at the vet's office... ahem. He was named for my step-father. He's now the elder gentleman of the house crowd and will turn 14 sometime in July. This was taken the second day after he joined the gang.

Trip 2011-

Our vet's office knew we had a three-legged cat (Wobble), so when they found a litter of Siamese kittens and only the "three legged" (actually 2.x legged) tom remained unadopted, they called my wife. She said 'yes', but I have to admit I probably would have as well.

Why 2.x legs? His front legs are fine, but one rear leg has a partially-developed "proto foot" (as I call it). He can shuffle around on it, but the other leg ends at the hip. Plus he has a stumpy tail. But he's all good inside and full of spit and vinegar, as you'd expect from a Lynx Point Siamese! He underwent the most dramatic appearance change of all our cats. Here's how he looks now:

Adult Trip

Boom ~2015-

We ended up with Boom as an adult when his human parents both ended up in bad situations. That was in 2017, so he's with us for good. Named for Boomhauer (on "King of the Hill") he has one gold eye and one blue eye. He's a real sweetheart and loves nothing better than shared naps and a belly rub. Plus, he knows how to pose:

Did I mention Boom loves boxes?

Lulu ~2019-

Our latest (and hopefully last, for a long while) addition is Lulu. She belonged to a next-door neighbor who really didn't have an interest in keeping her. It became evident she would be far better off with a family who wanted her, so we did the obvious thing. Despite her Sphinx-like appearance here, she's a very sweet little cutie. I told my wife she (Lulu) makes me smile.

[EDIT] My daughter is currently living with us. Last year her college roommate "gave" the kitten she rescued to my daughter just before graduation (gee thanks... I think). Found under a car covered in grease, he was christened "Grease". So he has (temporarily?) become part of the family, too... At least until my daughter moves into her own place. Here he is as a long-legged, big-footed juvie...

Little kitten Grease 2020

Now he's a rock-solid, sleek and shiny full-grown (more or less) tom now, but still adorably dopey and dorky at times:

el-Derpo the cat

If you're still reading, thanks! I guess I used up my image allotment until about October, but what the hey...