Rufus: 10 year old Maine Coon male, gray tabby and white. "Roofie" was a shabby, matted, injured stray who adopted us by showing up on the doorstep, and refusing to leave. We thought he was adult from his size (8 pounds). It turned out he was just a kitten!

Rufus, a wonderful Maine Coon cat, born in 1992, passed away July 19th, 2002 after a short battle with FIV. Although he had tested negative 3 times earlier, we're not sure how he was exposed.

Rufus was buried behind the place he had called home for the last 4 years. Rufus has left behind a loving family who has been with him since he was a kitten. Rufus was a loyal, protective member of his family and will be dearly missed.

A letter to my beloved friend.

Prissy: A one year old female stray who was FeLeuk positive. For a year she was 'The Princess'. There was no better name for her, it described her to the letter. She came and grabbed our hearts, always a chortle or a purr, she loved to be snuggled by anyone who would pick her up. She loved to 'nest' in the belly fur of the larger cats. She was cute as a bug and she knew it!

Prissy passed away on May 12th, 2004 from FeLeuk. She is sadly missed and will always have a special place in our hearts. Her headstone sums it up:

" I came, I purred, I conquered"

Iris : A 6year old black and tan Miniature Dachshund female who was rescued from a puppy farm. Iris was so anemic from worms and fleas that she almost required a blood transfusion! Although she was 10-12 weeks old, she was too weak to walk for a while. She and Nipper were inseparable companions. Iris just loved kittens, and would lick them and try to carry them around. She would have been a wonderful mother if we had allowed her to have puppies.

Iris passed away on a fall morning September 19th, 2004 from diabetes and collapsed discs in her spine, the infamous "Dachsund Back Problem" She was buried along with the cats that she loved that went before her. We'll meet her at the bridge when our time comes.

AJ: Initially, we thought AJ was female. When we realized he was male, we named him AJ, for Almond Joy, because "Almond Joy's got Nuts!" We got an e-mail from a woman who found AJ as a tiny kitten living in the drainage ditch at the local flea market in August 2003. She was not allowed to have pets where she lived and asked us to take him. He was about 6 weeks old at the time so we think he was born about the beginning of July or the end of June 2003. He got rid of a large colony of fleas and ear mites, and became a lovely black cat with gold eyes. AJ was always a bit stand-off-ish but would allow you to pet him on our bed, provided you didn't try to pick him up. He really liked Shelley, and when she got home from a night shift, he would curl up in bed with her to be loved on. He would purr and purr as she stroked him. He had a special fondness for Life breakfast cereal, and would split the bowl with Shelley if given half a chance.

AJ started to lose weight around the middle of October 2004, and we knew what that was a symptom of. We took him to the vet and they confirmed our fears.

AJ passed away November 12th, 2004 from FeLeuk. He is buried alongside his pride mates who went before him. He will be dearly missed by all of us. He got a year and a half of life that he would not have gotten in that ditch, but we just wish the run had been longer for him.

This is Scribbles, Doodles' and Dieter's other kitten. Although you can't see them in this pictures, Scribbies had wings. He liked to "Fly" from the top of the bedroom cat tree (7 feet off the ground) to the bed. Total flight distance of about 9 feet. It's quite a sight. He was born in August 2000.

Scribbles passed away in Pat's lap on March 25th, 2005 after a short bout with FeLeuk. He was laid to rest alongside the other members of his colony who went before him. He is dearly missed by all of us and we will see him later on the other side.

This is Dieter. He was a long haired, ginger and cream tabby. He was found living under a house Driscoll Services went to work on. It was the middle of winter and it took some work to catch him. He adjusted well to being an indoor cat. He fell in love with Doodles, and they raised 2 kittens together. He climbed into the box with her 2 hours after the birth of the kittens, and proceeded to give EVERYONE a bath, Mom and kids both! Doodles had no problem with that, and he continued to care for the kittens as they've gotten older. Dieter was also a wonderful "Foster Mother" to orphan kittens we cared for. The only thing he couldn't do was feed them. He would pin them down with one of his huge paws, and proceed to SCRUB them from nose to toes. He would also snuggle in with them to supplement the heating pad. He was born about December 1999.

Dieter passed away on March 26th, 2005, probably from FeLeuk. He was surrounded by his friends and family until the end. He was laid to rest next to his son who passed away a day earlier. He is sadly missed by those he left behind.

This is Zigzag (Ziggy for short). He was one of Doodles' and Dieter's kittens. He was named for the "Zig-Zag mark on his forehead, which was vanishing as he got older. Ziggy LOVED toilet paper, and if it was not hidden, would shred an entire roll, scattering it from one end of our bedroom to the other. SUCH fun to clean up! Also fun when it's the last roll, and you have to... Never mind... Ziggy was also careful to teach new kittens the joys of potty paper bowling! He was born August 2000.

Ziggy died of FeLeuk on March 28th, 2005, just days after his brother and father. Ziggy joins them in the family plot and we will see him again at the bridge.

This sweet Calico baby was Splotch. At about 6 weeks old, she was kicked into a wall by the (Now ex) husband of a coworker. I suspect my coworker received just as much physical abuse as Splotchie did. The resulting head injury left her unconscious for 2 days from what we were told. The husband refused to allow her to be taken to the vet. She came to us about 4 weeks after the injury/assault. She had some difficulty walking, as her rear legs didn't quite work like they should, and often crossed over each other as she walked. We think she also had a pelvic fracture. However, she had no trouble finding the food dish, litter box or her toys! She's was a affectionate, loving kitty. Splotch slept under the covers in bed with us at night, where she purred and nursed on the blanket to soothe herself to sleep. She was born about January 2002. In this picture, she was about 12 weeks old.

Splotch passed away on March 29th, 2005 from FeLeuk. She is missed by all of us and has joined her friends and family and is waiting by the bridge for us.

This was Dallas. Where to begin... Dallas, Austin, Isabel and 3 other kittens were rescued from a local apartment complex after the management said they were going to be trapped and destroyed, along with several hard stray adult cats. Someone else took the adults, we ended up with the 6 kittens. 4 of them were about 4 weeks old, Dallas and Austin were about 6 weeks old, and WILD, boy were they wild... They started to trust us a bit, but not enough to adopt them out. Homes were easily found for the 4 tamer kittens. He was born about August 2000.

Dallas passed away from FeLeuk on April 19th, 2005. We joins his littermates awaiting us at the Rainbow Bridge. He will always have a special place in our hearts.

This was Pinky. Pinky was one of Rose's kittens that we were not able to find a home. So, she stayed with us. She was a very affectionate kitten up to the day she passed on. In March 2006, we noticed that she was losing weight and not eating. After a visit to the vet, and blood work, it was found out that her liver was not working. The vet believed it was a birth defect.

Pinky passed away from a genetic liver disorder on April 9th, 2006. She joins the others at the Bridge, and we hope to see her when our time comes.

This is KC, and as the picture says, he WAS"Pillow Soft"! He was a HUGE Maine Coon boy at 26+ pounds. He was rescued from a local apartment complex where our daughter Betsy was living. KC (judging from his injuries) had had a rope tied around his neck, and was then drug around by the rope, likely behind a bike. He had rope burns around his neck, and up the back of his head and ears. We have since been told that the local guys used to throw beer bottles at him for entertainment... Needless to say, that was horribly traumatic for this gentle, loving boy. His physical injuries were healed, and he was neutered. He was also obviously been kicked a lot. For the longest time, he would "Flip Out" if anyone let their feet get near him. He would growl, and slink away backwards. KC was finally learning that nobody here is going to hurt him, ever. We thought he was an adult cat when Betsy brought him here, but he kept growing, and growing, and growing... You should see the size of his feet! His front paws were about 2"across! KC taught us a lesson about cat toys in 2003. He swallowed a feather that he pulled off a toy, and it became lodged against his soft palate. To make a long story short, we now call it the $1000 cat toy. The total vet bill for diagnosis of the problem, then removal of the feather, which had caused a horrible infection, came to $997.00. We are now VERY careful to be sure toys cannot be torn apart and eaten by the cats. KC was born around December 2001.

KC died July 19th, 2006 in our arms, after being sick for a very short time. We beleive he passed away due to FiV, even though he had passed the tests in the past. He is missed greatly.

Chessey

Crosley : Crosley was Jay and Marble's male littermate. He was a solid inky black, and just ROTTEN! Hard-core snuggle muffin... Crosley was Pat's cat, and would live in Pat's lap if allowed to do so. He was a bit smaller than Jay at only 18 pounds! Crosley was born around August 1999

Crosley died September 26th, 2008.He had been losing weight and having mouth problems for a while. He told Pat it was time. He is missed greatly.

Nipper : Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix female who was brought to us as a 2 week old, still toothless baby. Nipper was purchased by Pat's brother Mike at the local flea market. Upon getting her home, Mike and his wife discovered she was much to young to have been taken from her mother. Our daughter, Betsy, volunteered to be a surrogate 'Puppy Mother" over her Easter vacation, and literally saved Nipper's life. Nipper required over 2 weeks of every 2-3 hour bottle feedings. She appears to be half Jack Russell Terrier, and half Chihuahua. This is one spring loaded, loving little dog! Nipper was born around March 1997. As she's gotten older, Nipper has developed a seizure disorder. There's nothing more pitiful than a little dog who NEVER "goes" in the house, and loses control during a seizure. She get's so embarassed...

Nipper passed away Febuary 4th, 2009 from natural causes. She is deeply missed.

Marble: Marble is a Charcoal Tabby. He stayed ill the first 6 months of his life with a chronic upper respiratory infection. I think we're finally done with all that. It did stunt his growth a bit, as his head is small in proportion to the rest of his body, and he's only about 16 pounds of cat fat! He has a problem with seasonal allergies, and his annual sinus problems coincide with my husband Patrick's. Marble is aggressively affectionate, and if he wants attention, you had BETTER give it to him! Marble was born around August 1999

Marble passed away January 9th, 2010 after a long illness. He started suffering the same problems his brother Crosley did, and told us it was time.

Bartok was born in 1998 to a black mother and Seal Point Siamese father who live in the dumpsters outside of the cafeteria at Charelston Southern University. He was rescued with his brother at about two weeks of age. Both had under- developed eyes and his brother (Chester) did not survive another week. Through diligent bottle feedings and lots of love, this nearly blind cat became an almost normal member of our family. He now lives with his mother/rescuer (Christie) and her other cat, Clara (below).

Bartok's medical conditions worsened and he had to be put to sleep in 2009

Momma cat let her titties get so filthy! They were caked with crud. A soapy washcloth did wonders. Over the next few weeks, everyone gained weight, and resolved the flea related anemia. The kittens were taken in by a local vet who does rescue work. She does pediatric neuters, immunizations, worms them, tests for FIV and FeLeuk, etc. then adopts them out for a $75 donation. They all have wonderful homes now. Bonnie is now (spayed) and living with our daughter Betsy. She's a dear kitty. She was born about January 2004.

Bonnie died in an accident in 2009.

Lilly : Lilly was a "Failure to Thrive" kitten brought to us by one of our girls' boyfriends. It turns out that she has 3 different severe heart defects, which is why she was rejected by her mother. There is no medication or surgery that can help Lilly, other than a heart transplant. The vet just tells us "Keep on spoiling her"! Although not as energetic as the other cats, she's a real sweetheart. She is still teeny-tiny, at only 4 pounds. Lilly is our "Forever Kitten". The vet refuses to put her under anesthesia due to her heart condition, so she cannot be spayed, but there are no intact males in our household. By all rights, Lilly should not have survived kittenhood. She was born around August 1999.

Lilly started to have seizures after hyperventilating in November of 2010.  When she was ready, she let us know it was time for the last ride to the vet. Lilly past on December 6th, 2010. She is now with the others who went before her and we will see our "tiny tabby" at the bridge.

This is Reid, aka "Reid-Weed". Betsy was doing some electrical work on Reid Street in Charleston, when she heard a kitten cry coming from a vacant lot. She looked, and saw a tiny kitten, about 7 days old, in the tall grass. She left him alone, assuming his Mom would be back shortly. She came back, 3 hours later, after a heavy rain storm. Tiny Reid was still alone, crying, but now wet and cold also. Obviously, something had happened to his Mom-Cat. Betsy brought him to us. His eyes were open, but his ears were still closed, and he had no teeth at all. We figure he was about a week old. He did well with the bottle and KMR, and is now weaned and running all over the house. Just like our other "Bottle Baby" kittens, he LOVES people! Reid was born about September 19, 2004.

Reid started to fade in November of 2010. He was no longer able to make the counters and feed himself very on December 22nd. We knew it was time. Reid passed on December 23rd, 2010. He has joined his friends that went before him.