The Admiral's Furry Friends

Rats!

The rats have their own pages now!

Cats!

Miranda and Cleopatra

Miranda and Cleo live with my parents in Colorado. After the leukemia experience with Cassie, these two cats aren't allowed out of the house. Miranda is a black tortoise-tabby, a breed known for being easily spooked. I named her for the Uranian moon Miranda, since they have similar geologic features. :-) She has really mellowed out with age and has definitely become a "people" cat in the last year. She still likes to talk to me on the phone, in fact.

Cleo is a grey tabby, who thinks she is a puppy. Considering that she has legs like a dachshund's, I guess that shouldn't be surprising. She wags her tail like a dog, while watching the birds at the window. She used to follow Shwuppy everywhere and now has taught my parents' current dog (Maggie) a bunch of cat tricks, including how to bathe herself.

Despite their very different personalities and markings, it's clear that Miranda and Cleo came from the same litter. They look after each other, mother each other and look remarkably alike in profile. (One of their grandparents was Siamese, which is evident in the curve of their necks when seated.)

Gone, but not forgotten

Shwuppy

Shwuppy, or "Zecca's Roman Warrior", was a pedigreed Shetland Sheepdog, the runt produced by two show Shelties. He had a beautiful full white stripe on his nose and was extremely hyper. He and Cassie were very close and he was never quite the same after her death. (Neither was I.) "Shwuppy" was the seventh dog in the Zecca extended family to carry the name, which resulted from a great aunt's inability to say the word "puppy" as a child.

Cassiopeia

Cassie and I didn't get along very well for the longest time. She was a beautiful long-haired calico who spent most of her time outdoors, prowling our street in Boulder, Colorado. She was solid with muscle and actually developed some rather nasty boxing moves after having her fronts claws removed at age five. Cassie was primarily my sister's cat and joined the household while I was away visiting my grandparents; as a result, she always kind of saw me as an invader to her territory. We became close when we were at our worst: I was deep in the throes of depression and she was dying a slow death from feline leukemia. As she degenerated, she would hide from my sister to shield her from the pain. Cassie and I spent many late hours together when the insomnia was at a peak. I still have a hard time dealing with her loss.