Ten Cats & A Dog, Max!

When the kittens came along, the big kitties felt a bit left out. The kittens are in the videos, the kittens are playing the games, the kittens are getting the "extra" treats...I know the big kitties think they get all the attention. It was hard to believe we found the kittens only two weeks apart and they are so close in age. We had Jack before Lil Lil. I always say he wished for her. They could not love each other more. Since the big kitties like lots of attention as well, I thought I would introduce them...in the order they came to bless our lives. This post is for those who follow my blog and have asked to see pictures of them.

From Bottom to Top

Cat 1: Rudy has been with me for 13 years. He first appeared outside my door when I was painting my bedroom. His eyes were shut tight and he was so skinny that I thought he was really sick. It turned out he just has terrible allergies!

Cat 2: We found Alley in a restaurant parking lot next to a busy, busy street. I thought she was running past us when we walked outside the restaurant, but she ended up landing at my feet. She is our Alpha cat and lets all 9 cats know it each day, so we nicknamed her "Stinky". She looked so much like Rudy when we found her that we got them mixed up for weeks. However, she ended up getting bigger than him and we soon discovered she was pregnant. She had 5 beautiful kittens and we found great homes for all of them.

Cat 3: Bonnie strolled over to us when we were walking at a track. She is declawed and has an extra digit like the Hemingway cats. Once home, we realized she was pregnant. Bonnie had 4 kittens and once again we found great homes for all of them.

Cat 4: Minnie was probably living on our farm before we were. Occasionally, we would see her outside and I would affectionately call her Minnie Mouse since she dashed by like a little gray mouse. After a few months, we were finally able to start feeding her. Then, one day she came over with 5 kittens. Oh no, not another one with kittens! Once again, we found homes for 4 of her 5 kittens. Minnie is the most grateful cat we have. She brings calm to the group and I now call her "Mother" Minnie.

Cat 5: Maggie is Minnie's daughter. She is a beautiful Calico cat. Maggie stayed with us since she has such a timid nature. After 4 years very little has changed. I am the only one who can get close to her. She is so loveable, but so scared of just about everything.

Cat 6: Alvin just appeared one day on the farm. He is a big tabby "Tom Cat", a true gentle giant. I nicknamed him "Fatty" because he looks so much like Miranda's cat on Sex and the City.

Cat 7: We went to an estate sale and ended up with Summer. Her owner had recently died from cancer and the family was trying to find her a home. We left the estate sale with Summer, a pet carrier and a rabbit painting. I will post a picture of the rabbit painting on my Easter post. Thanks to the internet, I was able to locate the artist who had been featured on HGTV. I have since become friends with her and her family. We also learned so much about Summer through them and have met so many wonderful friends.

Cat 8: It was a warm rainy Thanksgiving Day and I had the door open while I was cooking. The smell of Turkey must have been too much to pass up. Molly was outside the door crying to come in and eat. She was so skinny and completely soaking wet. After 3 pregnant female cats, I was not ready for another one. We were so blessed she was not pregnant! I love the way she can rest completely flat on her belly...just adorable!

Cat 9: One trip to the Lumber yard and we came home with a little orange kitten. We named him Jack for Lumber Jack. However, I am a huge fan of Jack Nicholson and our Jack just loves the ladies like him. Although, his true love is Lil.

Cat 10: Lil is Jack's wish for a soulmate. We found Lil just weeks after we found Jack. She was stranded in a parking lot and she climbed my pant leg begging for food. I thought she would never stop eating when we brought her home. She is the most playful cat we have and I know she loves Jack as much as he loves her!

Our one and only Dog: Our little white American Eskimo is Max and we found him in our barn. He is the watch dog for all our farm cats. He alerts them of anything new and scary. More importantly, he is my husband's best friend.