Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web !

OK, time to put up their pictures. I've mentioned them a few times, so here they are!

The first two pictures are Merlin aka "Fat Cat." He was adopted from the shelter when my daughter was about a year old. He was the last of a litter of kittens to be adopted who were found abandonded in a box nearly starved to death and too young to be without their mother. He still has "nursing" issues where he likes to suck on your clothes when you pet him sometimes!

When we put my daughter down for naps as a baby, we were always careful to close her bedroom door so the kitten didn't wake her up. They loved playing together. Then one day I heard something odd over the baby monitor and went in to see what on earth she was doing in there. It was Merlin curled up next to her purring his little kitten heart out as she slept. They are still close buddies and cuddle up under her blankies together (she is 8 now).

Our dog is also a shelter adoptee. His name is Harley. He's a Boston Terrier and something mix. The vet thought that it's possible he's purebred, but doesn't look like a typical boston due to inbreeding at a puppy mill or bad breeder. All we know is that he has really bad gas no matter what we fee him. That dog can clear a room! :nono: ... in fact I just heard him fart! :shock:

Third adoptee is Mocha. I call her my "patrol car kitty." About two weeks after we got Merlin, I was on partol (military police) the day before Christmas of 2001. There was no animal control on duty, and someone had found a kitten and called to have her picke up. She was cold and scared and I couldn't much warm her up in my arms since I had a nice thick hard bullet proof vest on. But she jumped up in the back window of my patrol car and rode there all the way to the animal services building where I left a note on her cage that if not claimed, I'd be back for her. The day after Christmas she came home with us. They called and said no one has ever claimed a stray cat from them, so I might as well take her.

Mocha's other nickname is "The Scavenger." Do not leave your food unattended around her! It's odd that she's the skinny minnie, because she'll eat anything off your plate the minute you turn your head, yet Merlin won't touch anything other than dry food, not even the canned stuff. When we just put our dirty dishes in the sink, we usually hear a clink or two when we leave the room as Mocha jumps into the sink to see what's left.

And that is the story behind my adopted children! They are all one happy little family. Merlin will even cuddle with the dog. Mocha tollerates him and sometimes tries to steal his food!