I grew up with cats.  Rusty was the first cat we had. Rusty was aloof. You hardly noticed he was around and he caused no fuss. He was there to be petted when he felt like it and that was it. Rusty disappeared one day and my Mom looked all around for days or weeks and discovered another cat which she said was Rusty or an exact twin.  Yeah, except they looked barely alike to me and the personalities was opposite.

This twin was named Tawny and she slept all day and then when the house was quiet she galloped and slid around the house. Just when you almost asleep Tawny would gallop by like a miniature pony and slide into a wall. Pausing suddenly she would look around as if to say “No, I didn’t hear anything”.

For years we had a black and white beauty – this cat was called Errol Flynn. Smart, and medium friendly; he was a class act. We enjoyed Errol Flynn for many years and he didn’t even bother our dwarf bunny when the bunny would hop over and “invade” Errol’s privacy bubble.  Errol really enjoyed being petted and he would hop up so you would pet him. He also was very adventuresome and would make very brave leaps from the second floor or up to the second floor when he was so inclined.

This last weekend my daughter’s cat, Africa, visited. Africa is different from all these other cats. Africa is like a movie star. She wants to be noticed on her terms, she wants to be in the room because she is secretly social but at the same time she demands her privacy. Africa has an amazing quality that teases you into loving her because she has a wonderful smile, and looks so cute when she lies down and her feet seem to be swallowed up and gone.

Here is to the little furry animals that steal our hearts!