Gargamel was the first cat to enter our family when he was just a starving kitten. He had ear mites, was almost dead, and had until the end of the week to go bathroom and eat or he would have to be put down. The week passed and he wouldn't eat or go bathroom. Friday morning came, and mom was just about to call the veteranarian's office when Gargamel climbed into the littler box and went bathroom. It was one of the happiest days of our lives. Gargamel, now nine years old, is a strong cat that rules over all the other cats of the house.

Lucky is the nephew of Sarabi (see other cats below). He was a cat that my mom fed at the neighbor's house. When he was younger he got a virus where cats sneeze constantly. It is easy to die from unless taken care of. His eyes were matted shut, but with medicine, he got over it, hence the name Lucky. He was perfectly content being an outdoor cat. He went missing for a few years until one day he showed up again...this time in bad shape. He punctured his lip, and after we took care of that, he again went away. This time, he only left for three days. He decided then maybe it was a better idea to be an indoor cat. He now spends most of his time being super lazy, and when he gets really happy he will drool out of the hole where his lip was punctured. Seems gross, but he is just too adorable.

Hermione was with these boys in a parking lot. My aunt saw them being rough with the cat and letting her out of their van. When she asked them if she was their cat they kept changing their mind from no to yes, so she decided to take it because she knew they wouldn't take care of her. My aunt was going to take it because my dad said no to us having her. We already had four other cats, but with some pleading and crying, my dad finally gave in, but made us sign a promise note that said we wouldn't take in any more animals after Hermione. As you can tell, that promise did not hold, lol. Hermione prefers to lay on her back because she doesn't like the feeling of her paws. She is also cross-eyed and has a bit of trouble jumping on the counter, but despite that she is a cat that will just melt your heart.

Bear is exactly how he sounds...a bear. We didn't exactly rescue him. In fact, we rescued his mom. She was pregnant and very hungry, so we took her in and kept her in the guest bedroom/computer room. We promised dad we wouldn't keep any babies. We just wanted to help her have her babies and then we would give them away. In August of 2005, she had eight kittens; two simese, two black, two white, one calico, and one gray and white. We gave away each kitten to a good home (along with their favorite toy). We only kept one cat, Bear, because mom was in love with him. He had a lot of health problems as a kitten, and at just a year old we found out Bear had Feline Leukemia. We had to put him to rest not long after finding out, but the time we did have Bear was fun. It was great to rescue a mother and watch the birthing process of cats and see each one grow into their personalities.

We found Scruffy on July 4th, 2007. We were blowing off fireworks, and we heard this gut-curdling cat cry. My mom and aunt went over to the neighbor's junkyard to investigate. My mom was cradling a malnourished baby kitten and my aunt my carrying its dead sibling. The mother had abandoned them, so we took Scruff in and bottle fed her. We took her to the vet, and she managed to bite mom, causing us to go into a rabies scare. Luckily, Scruffy didn't have rabies, so mom was ok. We nursed Scruffy back to health, and for how malnourished she was, she's a really chubby cat, lol. She is very active, but has a big-little belly, to put it the right way, lol. She loves to swat at you when you walk by where she is laying. She is a natural-born trouble maker that managed to capture our heart every day.

This lovely lady, and the reason I'm becoming a dog trainer, is Pepper. She was a stray, although we know where she came from. Even though we knew who owned her, my mom refused to have them come get her because they had their dog have puppies and then didn't take care of them. Everyone else around our small town had to take in the dogs because of the neglect and abuse of those owners. When Pepper first came, my dad chased her away because we already had a dog and six cats. The second time, though, the cops got her and took her to the pound. They told mom that if no one claimed her by Monday, she'd be euthenized. Come Monday, I was home from college and mom was in a pickle. She was regretting everything because she knew that since it was Monday the dog would be destroyed. I told mom we had to go get her.

We went to the closest pound, which is a small town of under 100 people. We asked the mayor about the dog, who had no knowledge of one being in the pound. We asked the maintenance lady, and she said the cops didn't tell her anything. Usually they tell her, but we asked her to check anyway. She went into this small, enclosed outhouse thing, and there was Pepper-no food, no water, hardly any room, and scared. NOBODY KNEW SHE WAS THERE! The cop just dropped her off and told no one, leaving the dog to starve! I picked Pepper up, and we took her home. She was afraid for quite some time, but had no problem eating or drinking. Mom and I cried and thanked God that we went to get her. Dad told us to put up flyers to get someone to adopt her, but we ended up falling deeply in love with her, too in love to give her up.

She is the reason I am going back to school to be a dog trainer. She is such a super smart dog, and seeing all the progress she has made with just my amature training makes me swell with joy. I have gotten her to sit, stay, lay down (only took her five minutes to learn), and she has recently learned to shake. Amazing young pup.

We got Buster from some family friends who couldn't have him anymore. He like to start trouble with Sarabi and is very lazy. The coolest thing about him: He talks! When I go home and say, "Hey Buddy!" He will give me two chirpy meows, runs to me, and let me stroke him.

Sarabi is a spoiled queen. The neighbor that my mom fed cats for had a lot of strays that he kept outdoors. We wanted a kitten, and he said we could have any pick of the new litter as long as they were black because he never had colored cats. Sarabi is quite a queen, mom's cat, and she ends up having to stalk her way to the water dish because Buster jumps her, lol. She is loveable to mom all the time, but only love the rest of us when mom is gone.

We received Penny after my grandpa ended up in the nursing home. No one else wanted her, so we took her. She stunk so bad we had to drive with the windows down. My grandpa took good care of her, but here was still room for improvement. She recently passed away, but for an older dog with arthritis, she was spirited and fun. She loved walks, and every time she saw the leash, she would jump and bark. And man could she sniff out a trail. A great hunting dog, companion, and loyal friend. She will be missed.ere