Liz and Pete's Zoo!!: The Cats.

Our cats are pretty unique - they are friendly, come when you call them, and even give baths to people on occasion :) We have 4 cats - Cheddar, Linea, Maya and Magic. I'd also like to tell you a bit about Commodus and Maximus, 2 cats that we lost far too early. I'll start with the ones that are still with us.

Cheddar (aka Cheddar Bedder, The Ponch)

Cheddar is a 1.5 yr old orange tiger cat. He is a real character - he likes to give head bumpies and kisses, and will bathe you if you let him. He especially likes licking people's hair. Cheddar enjoys wrestling with the other cats, playin with the ferrets, and cuddling with the dogs. He also enjoys attacking the dogs tails and sneaking into their crates for a little nap. Cheddar has a pot belly that we call his "ponch" - he's a little tubby :) I think he is our biggest cat, though Magic is pretty big too. We adopted Cheddar after losing his brother Commodus. Both were adopted from down in Tennessee, where a friend of ours found them underneath a trailer, orphaned at only a few days old. She bottle fed them and saved their lives. Cheddar is a wily boy - he sometimes plays a bit rough, but he means well. Cheddar is totally unphased by pretty much everything - he loves every dog he meets, and has no fear of any of them, which can be problematic at times!

Linea is a black and white short haired cat, who is about the same age as Cheddar. She was also adopted from down in Tennessee. Linea is a tiny little thing, even though she is full grown. She is our smallest cat. She has a loud, high pitched meow that can be extremely annoying in the middle of the night. Linea likes to use her paw to splash water out of the cats water bowl, drenching the floor. Again, very annoying. She is awfully sweet though, and enjoys being held on her back like a baby, and likes attention. Linea likes to wrestle, especially with Maya - they chase each other around a lot. Linea likes dogs, but is a bit unsure when new fosters arrive - but she calms down within a few hours usually. Linea's name came from a Stargate SG-1 character named Linea, who was known as "The Destroyer of Worlds". It's pretty appropriate for out little bitch of a cat :)

Maya (aka Maya-Moo) is a 1 year old black and white short haired cat. She is larger than Linea, but smaller than Magic and Cheddar. Maya is the friendliest cat I've ever met - she will curl up on anyone's lap, and rub against you for attention. She's constantly purring like a motorboat, and is a happy little girl. Maya adores dogs - she actually made friends with our dogs before she warmed up to the cats when we first brought her home. Maya really likes to cuddle up with the dogs for warmth. We use her to "cat test" the foster dogs, because she is so friendly. She walks right up to every new dog she meets and rubs her head against their nose to say hello. We of course make sure that we have a tight hold on the dogs leash throughout! Maya loves water, and will come running if you turn on a faucet. She also LOVES boxes. She will squeeze into any box and hang out for hours. We adopted Maya through Feline Friends in Salem NH.

Magic is a 2 year old all black cat. She looks like a teddy bear, because someone cut off her ears. Originally it was thought that she lost her ears to frostbite, but they are far too symmetrical and perfectly edged. Magic was found outside as a stray with her litter of kittens, and she was very thin. She is NOT thin anymore! She's quite round. Magic likes attention from us, but can sometimes be wary of new people. But, she adores our friends who rent our upstairs unit - every time they are downstairs she parks herself on their laps. Magic is scared of new dogs, but is not scared of ours. She does not interact with them much, but tolerates them, as long as they are mindful of the fact that she runs the house, and is queen :) Magic was also adopted through Feline Friends.

Maximus (aka Maxi-Moo, Max, or Moo) was our first cat. He was a brown and gray short haired tiger cat. I got Maximus for Pete as a birthday present in April 2007. He fit right in immediately, sleepin with our dogs and cuddling with us on the couch. He was such a sweet, gentle, good natured little guy. Max was diagnosed with FIV at his first vet appointment, and it was confirmed when he was 6 months old. We were told that most cats with FIV, as long as they are kept on good quality food, kept inside, and taken good care of, live long, healthy lives. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case for Max. In December 07, I noticed that he was not acting like himself suddenly - acting secluded, distant, and not seeking out attention. I then noticed that his gums were almost totally white, indicating that he was severely anemic. We brought him to the vet immediately, and were told that due to complications from FIV, that his body was attacking its own blood cells. He was suffering, and rather than put him through days in the hospital when ultimately he had a disease that we could not cure, we had him put to sleep. I held him while they gave him the shot, and told him what a good boy he was. We miss him like crazy.

Commodus (aka Commie) was Cheddar's twin brother. We adopted Commodus because Maximus needed a buddy. When we got Commie he was only about 6 weeks old. Right after we got him, we were pet sitting for a woman with 2 dogs, a dachshund puppy and a, adult Jack Russel Terrier. I don't think I have to go into the gory details of what happened - to make a long story short, we were told that the JRT was good with cats. To be vigilant, we kept the cats in the office, just to be safe. Pete opened the office door, and Commie bolted out to say hi to the new dogs. He ran right over to the Jack Russel, who promptly killed him. Commodus was a wonderful kitten - he adored dogs, and his favorite place to sleep was in the dogs food bowls. He liked to lick Molly's nose until she would open her mouth, and then he would stick his whole head inside her jaws. When we yawned, he would do the same thing. Such a funny little guy. I don't think I'll ever fully get over the fact that I failed to protect him adequately. RIP Commie :(

Below are some pictures of our cats, past and present :)

Maximus and Lucy