All My Girls {Cats}

All pictures taken on January 10, 2014. I took the time with each one and these were the best I could get considering all my girls were outside at the same time.

Chessie (Miller); Pure breed Maine Coon; 16 years old (born on 6/26/1997)

Nicknames: Girl

(this came from the fact we got Calvin at the same time - a boy of course)

This girl is an amazing gentle giant. She survived surgery to remove a stomach blockage and overcame pancreatis (which is usually a death sentence for cats) in 2007. She had an amazing life so far. She has been a trooper through two moves and really loves this place. She now has an abscess on the inside of her lip that comes and goes. The vet does not want to mess with it considering her age. She is still eating, drinking and living her life large in spite of the abscess. She has slowed down the last couple of years. This girl has refused to learn tricks. Period.

Gracie (Miller); adopted; estimated to be 6 years old

Nicknames: Honey Bunny, Honey, Bunny

This one is our special needs cat and our mighty huntress which is amazing considering she is a tripod. She was hit by a car and lost her front leg before we adopted her. She also has ear problems and allergies that we are maintaining. She is my first cat to ever resort to putting caps on her hind nails due to excessive scratching. Overall, she is a happy content cat with the exception of Abby's presence.

Gracie will roll over and show off her belly if I ask her to "show me your belly". Also, if she is on me and very demanding, I will say "upside down". She will then put her head upside down on my chest and gaze up at me. I cannot resist and will give her the attention (petting) she demands.

Abby (Gail); rescued at 4 weeks of age, 8 months old.

Nicknames: Brat, Holy Terror, Wildcat

This is our surprise addition. I never planned to have three cats. In fact, I only wanted two cats (at a time). I still only want two cats. She is a blessing in disguise. She kept me going when I crashed last summer because she needed me. She was going be just a foster until I found a home; but, with her wildness; I decided to hold off on finding a new home.

She has a high prey instinct and is extremely fast. She has recently started hunting and catching flies out of the air. It's amazing how she is able to keep her eyes and ears on the fly. I suppose that is a good thing because with her around, flies will not live in this house (and I don't have to kill them myself).

She adores hunting outdoors and will go for a walk on the leash (like a dog somewhat). She knows the word "come" (it is like "heel" for dogs) and obeys about 75% of the time. She will stand and sit on command (for treats). When I got sick recently with a sinus infection, I think she finally realized what "fetch" means because she brought her favorite toy (a rat) and I threw it with her bounding after it. She brought it back and dropped it practically in my lap. I was shocked. I praised her, threw it and she brought it back. She did this three or four times before she called it quits. And, she has done this again. So, I am thrilled that she can and will do this if she needs to expend energy without my realizing she needs play time especially during times when I am feeling crappy. It certainly made it easier on me because all I had to do was toss the thing.

I have been somewhat busy with life that I have not had time to teach Abby a new trick. I am thinking of challenging her to "spin". In other words, spin (walk) around in a tight circle. That will be one difficult trick to teach! Maybe I should just stick with "jump", huh?