This week, I'd like to blog about the eleven companions I have living with me at my house. They came from many different places. I rescued my two dogs from high-kill animal shelters and my cats came from many different litters and feral cat colonies. Below you will find their pictures. I have listed them from the oldest to the youngest in the chronological order they entered my life along with a brief bio about each of them.

 
Stinker is the feline friend that I have had the longest. She is a twelve-year old black Manx Cat. A Manx is a tailless cat that originated on the Isle of Man off the coast of England. I rescued her from a garbage pile in 1998. She had lost almost all her hair because she was allergic to fleas; but after a visit to the vet and a thorough flea treatment, she became a friend for life.

Cleo is an American Bobtail cat. She is seventeen years old and weighs about 15 pounds. She is a regal looking cat with long hair. She came to me in 2001 from a rescue group that kept rescued cats in foster homes until the right family was found to adopt them. Both Cleo and Stinks sleep with me at night.

 

Sweet Pea is a three year old mixed-breed dog. I adopted her in 2008 from a high-kill shelter in another state. She is part Rat Terrier and part Chihuahua so she is a small dog. She is very energetic! She grew up with cats, so she is very friendly and gentle with them.

Tubbs taking a nap!

In the summer of 2009, I found a little 6-week old, long-haired, white and gray kitten in my yard. The little thing had no hair on his tail. He looked like a fuzzy little rat! He came from a litter of kittens in the feral cat colony that live in the house next door. He was fat and happy so I named him Tubbs! 

 

 
Not long after, I decided that Tubbs needed a playmate. The two older cats, Stinks and Cleo, were too old to play with him. I didn't think that a kitten should be alone. That summer was the summer of kittens because Tubbs got three more playmates:

Houdini  - Jumping Jack Flash - Baby Girl

Houdini (my little escape artist!)

Having four kittens all under the age of 6-months really kept my house in chaos! Cats, especially young ones, are very curious creatures and get into EVERYTHING!

Sweetie loved playing with them, but as she got bigger, she was too rough when she played with them. She really needed a canine companion to play with.

Another dog of her size and with lots of energy is what we needed. I began looking for another dog that would be a good match for her. It also had to be a dog that was OK around cats. It wouldn't be a good idea to have a dog that didn't like cats join the menagerie! I looked and looked for a small dog with the right personality. Finally, last year at the end of the summer, I found one. His name is Beauregard. Beauregard is a two year old, wire-haired Jack Russell Terrier.

Beauregard  

(My bouncing Bo-Bo!)

This past summer, I got the urge to add one last kitten to my menagerie. I specifically wanted another Manx cat. I looked and looked and finally found two sisters that were litter-mates.

One sister is a short-haired, black and white, tuxedo rumpy named Rumpy, and the other sister is very different. She is a long-haired, solid black (except for a small white dot on her chest), stumpy named Stumpy!

Stumpy

Rumpy