This was my first cat. Spot. We kind of adopted her after she followed my brother home from the park one day. We had her for 19 years, and she was in great health until one day, when her body just shut down. Spot started a trend of calicos in the family.

After Spot died, my mom did not want to get another cat. But she was hooked, and she rescued this little girl from the shelter. C.C. (short for Calico Carter) is a neurotic play-lover. But she is still fairly young.

Falstaff. Now he was a weirdo. He would sleep in strange positions, in the bathroom sink, behind the stereo. And he was named after the opera Falstaff.

My brother and his family have two cats. He and his wife got a brother and sister from the SPCA after they got married. This is the sister, Pebbles. She is a bit shy, but very loveable.

Their other cat, the brother, is Bam-Bam. (Get it? Flintstones.) He is not shy at all. Although the "hunter" of the family, he is the first to jump in your lap and start purring.

These two brothers belonged to an old friend. Addison and Fabian were named after characters in his favorite movie, "All About Eve." They were both sweet and fun and cuddly. And 29 lbs each!