Animals always have been a very important part of my life. I have loved them from a VERY early age, as you can see here. This is me with my grandmother’s cat.
There are not a lot of pictures of me as a child, but the few that exist often include animals.
Me at age 11 with my granddad’s dog, Kim..
And me again with YoYo, one of many of my grandparents’ cats also when I was around age 11…
Seeing a trend yet?? lol
This page is devoted to Eric’s and my family- our beautiful pets! It has been an honor being a part of the lives of all of these wonderful creatures, and I thank God for that honor. Some of the babies below have passed on.. this page is also a tribute to them.
Meet Magic. We met on October 30, 1990 and he has had my heart ever since. This very special guy was so intelligent and loving, a wonderful daddy to all the others in our home. Also a ham for the camera, as you can see. He is also my first miracle kitty. September 24, 2003, on our 5th wedding anniversary, I was told by the vet that he wouldn’t live more than 12-18 months at most, because of having cardio myopothy (a condition where the heart muscle is overly thick, and one chamber of his heart was also much larger than the others). He lived for over three more years, while taking less medication. Truly an answer to my prayers! On January 21, 2007, Magic passed away quietly in my arms. Our little family will never be the same. He is truly missed, and always will be!
This beauty is Spitfire, Magic’s lady for 11 years. He first saw her wandering outside of my first apartment, and every time he saw her, he got so excited, meowing happily to lure her to him. It was obvious he was in love, so naturally I had to adopt her. Little did I know at the time that she was pregnant. We had Spitfire from March 3, 1991 until her death on August 11, 2002. She was an absolute joy to have around, and she certainly helped keep everyone in line. She earned her name well. She was also the only animal that Magic was afraid of, and with good reason. I recently learned that Sparky Spitfire was a cat in Irish folklore. She was the queen of the cats, ruling with her husband the king of the cats, Irusan. I have yet to find a description of what she looked like, but I would bet she looked a lot like my Spitfire…
This handsome fellow is Bob, the first born of Spitfire’s children born on April 24, 1991, 3 days after my 20th birthday. What a wonderful gift! Always a lover, Bob was the first to demand attention from any visitors. He also enjoyed playing fetch with a tiny jingle bell. His death on December 14, 2003 left a large absence in our home and hearts.
This handsome little man is Bear, Spitfire’s second son. Unfortunately, he was not with me long, but he was as sweet as they come. Gentle and loving, but silly too. He loved napping with his big sister, Fluffy. I named him after Fozzy Bear of the Muppets fame, because as a baby, when nursing, he wiggled his ears just like Fozzy Bear.
This tired little lady is Fluffy, Bob’s and Bear’s sister. Always a little princess, Fluffy always gave plenty of love in her prim way. The night before she passed away on February 13, 2004, I believe she knew her time was at hand.. as sick as she was, she curled up onto my lap. As I held her, she cuddled closer than she ever had before, as if she was saying goodbye. This sweet, adorable little lady is greatly missed.
And finally, this is the last of Spitfire’s children, Sneezer. I named her such because as a kitten, she frequently made herself sneeze by rubbing her nose along Mama’s tummy fur after nursing. Sneezer was a spunky, intelligent, vocal and very affectionate lady, who took over her mother’s role as queen of this castle after her passing. I occasionally called her Spitfire, jr. because of her personality being so much like her mama’s. Sneezer passed on August 8, 2009 from lung cancer at age 18. She is greatly missed.
This sweet little guy is Bubba. I was blessed to have him in my life from August 21, 1992- December 11, 2001 when he passed away from emphysema and FIV. He was just a tiny little thing when I got him, only about four weeks old. Bubba was undoubtedly the gentlest, sweetest kitty I have ever known, and he has a very special place in my heart. He will always be Mommy’s little freebird.
This pretty lady is Poo Kitty. We adopted her on August 31, 1995, and this picture was taken shortly after that day. Isn’t she the cutest thing? Poo grew into a big, beautiful, gentle, loving Maine Coon mix, who loved to give kisses when asked, especially to her daddy, who was undoubtedly the love of her life. She also could turn anyone who wasn’t fond of cats into a cat person with her gentle, sweet ways. Poo passed away suddenly from what appeared to be heart problems stemming from a thyroid condition on August 11, 2010. We miss our furry little girl, but are somewhat comforted knowing she’s with her best buddy, Sugar, once again..
This handsome, silly little guy is Sugar, Poo’s best friend. We adopted him on June 6, 1996 as a stray who lived outside our old apartment. His former owners must have moved away and left him behind. He and Poo quickly developed a close friendship, and his death on April 30, 2002 devastated her as well as us. Sugar was always the clown of the family, making us laugh constantly with his goofy antics. He loved to hide around a corner and jump on Poo as soon as she passed him, which always led to a wrestling match.
And this beauty is Delta Custom, named after my car under which she was found by my husband late one night. She was a very young little feral gal at the time, and with only 3 legs, we didn’t have the heart to leave her to exist in the wild. September 29, 1997 was the day we finally got this wild kitty into our home with the help of a very nice neighbor boy. She made herself quite at home with us, and was always an absolute angel. She also had a weakness for whipped cream and cheddar cheese. She has been known to dance around the refrigerator when whipped cream is out. Her passing on December 22, 2006 left a large absence in our lives only our little whipped cream fiend could fill…
This cutie is Doofus, our big, handsome tuxedo cat. He was also a stray living outside that old apartment. I took him in to give to a friend who changed her mind. Thankfully! October 13, 1999 was that special day for us. Doofus was a big guy, weighing in at about 20 pounds, and was all heart. He passed away unexpectedly on December 16, 2009, and is missed very, very much by every member of our family.
Cute or what?? This is Kitten Kaboodle, Doofus’s lady friend. This was one tough gal. I have seen her whoop a young Rottweiler four times her size, and a nasty little ferret! Yet, she was also gentle and loving with us. Unfortunately, she was stolen from us in December, 2000, but before she left, she gave us a great gift- a litter of three beautiful little girls born February 15, 2000!
Here is Kaboodle’s daughter #1, Spanky. She was fun-loving, intelligent and very playful. Spanky never really asked for attention, rather making it seem as if she is doing you a favor by allowing you to pet her. But, she was sweet as she can be, and always a lot of fun. Very curious and adventurous. When we moved into our home, she was the first to explore every single nook and cranny. She was a bit odd though, but that’s typical of calicos, tortoiseshell cats and tabicos (tabby/calico). She passed away from renal failure on October 7, 2010, leaving us without our goofy, beautiful little tabico.
Here is one of Spanky’s little sisters, Weeble, named for her fondness of sitting in this position as a kitten (anyone else remember the Weeble Wobbles??). Weeble was a gentle, sweet, motherly, and mischievous little lady. Always looking for someone to love or play with, she is also the first to offer love if either my husband or I were feeling sick or upset. Weeble passed away suddenly at age 16 on May 2, 2016. We miss her cute ways and cranky sounding meow every single day.
And, the last of Kaboodle’s little girls, Squeaky, with her best buddy, Bubba. Squeaky was extremely intelligent and sensitive, and always looking for someone to cuddle, be it human or feline. Whenever I asked for a kiss, she would stretch as far as she could towards me so I could kiss the top of her head. It was something she started as a tiny kitten of only a couple weeks old. When Bubba died, this little lady went into mourning for about nine months. She barely acknowledged anyone during that time- keeping to herself, not playing, and often staying in the basement. It was heartbreaking, but thankfully, she finally reached a place of healing, and started living again. She passed away suddenly on September 27, 2007, leaving a large void in our lives. The only consolation of that loss is knowing that she is with her best buddy once again…
This cute guy is Curious George, aka Georgie. We adopted him at the young age of only about 4 weeks on August 1, 2002.. he was born to a stray living in a lady’s yard. She was going to have animal control remove the family that week, so rather than let them be taken away, we adopted this cutie and his brother, and raised them ourselves. Georgie has always been extremely curious, ever since our first meeting, which explains his name. He was a sweet little angel, always playing with one of the other cats, or snuggling his brother. He passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on April 16, 2014. He is greatly missed, especially by his brother.
And this is Pretty Boy, Georgie’s brother. Gorgeous kitty or what? He loved laying by the fireplace during winter months, lounging on the enclosed porch and snuggling. He was extremely affectionate and gentle. An absolute treasure. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 2011 and liver carcinoma on October 17, 2013. On February 9, 2015, he went to the vet’s for his annual check up. I was told that not only did it look like he was in the very early stages of diabetic remission, but also there was no sign of the liver carcinoma! In fact, the vet’s exact words that he said twice were “His blood work is perfect.” Pretty Boy received a miracle! Sadly, we lost him suddenly on August 11, 2016 to an unknown cause, and he is greatly missed by everyone who knew him.
This adorable mutt is Bear. I gave him to Eric for his birthday in October, 2002. He was part Chow Chow, part black lab and part Chihuahua. Such a good boy who knew that 1 bark meant “yes”, 2 barks meant “no” and 3 barks meant “I love you”. Wasn’t he smart?? He loved squeaky toys, car rides, snuggles and Trace Adkins’ music. We lost Bear on February 21, 2013 after a brief battle with bone marrow cancer. He is so very sorely missed!
This beautiful, yet grumpy looking gal is Jasmine. We adopted her on August 8, 2003 after her last owner passed away. She was quite independent, as she’d always been an only pet, but she adjusted well to having a large family. We were blessed with our beautiful snowshoe kitty until her leaving us suddenly on August 2, 2011 shortly after her forth stroke. In the eight years we shared, Jasmine taught me a great deal about love, strength and a “never give up” attitude. On Christmas day, 2009, she had her first of four major strokes. She fought hard to regain her faculties after each stroke. She was one tough little girl, with an incredibly loving and passionate heart. My beautiful angel always will be greatly missed.
And this beauty is Miss Dixie, with her trademark hot pink toys. (She loved hot pink anything!) A dear friend of mine in Tennessee who knew we were looking for another dog met an American Eskimo breeder, who had this beautiful little lady up for adoption. She was born on May 5. 2004, and we brought her home on June 20, 2004 when she was just a teeny thing. She was a fun loving, cuddly little girl who loved to give lots of kisses to anyone she met, and loved hot pink toys. She seemed to think she is part cat, but I guess that is to be expected considering Sneezer and Magic helped to raise her. Dixie also had the ability to charm anyone and everyone she meets, whether they wanted to be charmed or not… truly a Southern belle! She passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on May 11, 2017. Dixie is missed a great deal by her whole family.
This handsome husky/wolf is Danya. He appeared in our yard one night in January, 2005. We called animal control, hoping his owners would find him there, but that never happened. We also tried to find his owners, but found they had moved away and left him and his brother behind. (Sadly, we never saw his brother- we hope he found a good, loving home.) We then decided to adopt him, and brought him home on January 15, 2005. I named him Danya because I read it means, “gift of God” in Russian.. it seemed fitting for him. He really was a gift- a fun, loving, sweet and very protective boy. Danya passed on March 26, 2009 at only five years old. He had been fighting diabetes and related conditions plus a heart defect. Our big goofy guy will always be missed.
This is Tweak, possibly the cutest, sweetest guinea piggy ever, with his best buddy, Danya. Since we adopted Tweak on August 2, 2006, he charmed every animal in our home, but the dogs in particular. Dixie often covered him in kisses, which he loved. When I changed Tweak’s cage, I often left him with Danya- he would groom Danya’s thick fur, and Danya seemed to enjoy it. Tweak passed away on April 10, 2010 after what appeared to be a stroke. We truly miss our silly little piggy!
This little cutie pie is Chester. Where Eric worked in 2008, the property is surrounded by woods, and in those woods are tons of feral kitties. One of his co-workers, bless her heart, worked with a trap/neuter/release program, and Chester here was a part of that. He became company pet of sorts – the one feral cat who began to look for human attention. He won Eric’s heart as a teeny kitten, when he listened as Eric talked to him. He asked Chester if he wanted to be a part of our family and said Chester looked like he considered this for a few moments, then was on board. About eight months later on July 12, 2008, we adopted him. That is when he won my heart. Sadly he passed away on October 26, 2021, Eric’s birthday, from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He is sorely missed by everyone who knew him, human and animal alike.
This handsome guy is Vincent. He was my Granddad’s cat, and my cousin adopted him after his passing in 2003. October 25, 2008, she asked us to watch him for a while while she moved, then later decided to give him to us. We couldn’t have asked for a better gift! He was a wonderful guy- funny, intelligent, devoted, extremely independent and a true Southern gentleman who loved to kiss ladies’ hands upon meeting them. His personality reminded me of Granddad so much that we used to call him Granddad sometimes just for that reason. Vincent passed away suddenly on December 21, 2010, and is greatly missed.
This handsome guy is Bo. Shortly after Spanky’s death, I realized that in only 14 months, we lost 4 wonderful cats. The losses affected all of us, so I decided we needed a kitten. They’re such clowns, how could a kitten not brighten up our home? Bo here came from the Anne Arundel County animal control. When I saw that cute little face, I couldn’t help but want to bring him home. He’s a charmer and as sweet as they come. We lost him on February 13, 2022 after an illness lasting for a few months. He is sorely missed.
Here’s Luke. Another charmer and complete love bug like his brother Bo. Luke here spent his first night in our home sleeping on my husband’s chest. He likes to nap in the cutest, silliest poses, and when I wake him, he usually purrs loudly while giving me a look that says, “I love you Mommy!” Bo and Luke are Norwegian forest cat mixes, so they have grown into two very large, fluffy and very handsome boys.
This pretty little lady is Valentine. I gave her to Eric for a Valentine’s day gift in 2011, and this picture was taken shortly after. When we got Bo and Luke, he’d said he wanted a girl. That was fine with me, but upon meeting Bo and Luke, I couldn’t not adopt them! I didn’t deliberately pick out two boys – it’s just how things worked out. So anyway, when Valentine’s day was coming, I could not figure out what to give Eric. I prayed, and one day, I found out a former classmate of mine (who rescues about any animal she can) had this pretty lady for adoption. I found that out on Valentine’s day morning, and by that afternoon, I was home with this pretty tortie kitty. Eric was surprised for sure, and is quite happy with his little girl. This silly girl is quite fun-loving and extremely affectionate – she will force us to snuggle! She is also a shameless flirt. She is also madly in love with Chester. They are quite the sweet couple!
On the evening of July 17. 2012, a friend of mine called me- the same friend who gave me Valentine. She told me about this local farmer she knew who had just found a litter of kittens about 3-4 weeks old in one of his out buildings. Mama kitty was nowhere in sight. She asked me to come check the kittens out to be sure they were doing alright. We had a heat wave of 100* plus temperatures, in addition to an extremely severe thunderstorm called a derecho only a couple of weeks before these babies were found. Eric and I discussed visiting these babies, and it was obvious to me we were coming home with at least one kitten. When I saw Sabrina, all shy and sweet in her cage, I knew she had to come home with me. Little did I know once she was home, her inner diva personality would come out. She has charmed every single person she has met, even those who are not overly fond of cats. She has all the male cats trained, too- one tiny meow, and whoever is near her rushes over to her to groom her. It’s quite a sight.
And this very big handsome boy is Zippy, Sabrina’s brother. He enjoys tackling his sister when she least expects it, catnip, and hoarding bubble wrap. He is so interesting because his personality is very much like Magic’s- highly intelligent, nurturing, mature beyond his years and extremely compassionate. If I believed in reincarnation, I would be convinced Magic had come back to me. Instead, I believe God knew I needed another cat like Magic in my life, so He sent me my sweet Zippy. Unlike Magic, however, Zippy is a very large boy – tall, long, and muscular. He weighs in at over 20 pounds! Zippy also has a tiny white spot on his chest in the shape of a heart. His middle name is Irusan (pronounced ee-ru-saun) after the king of the cats in Irish folklore. Irusan was a solid black cat with a white spot on his chest, and extremely large – some say the size of an ox. If I would have known about Irusan in 2012, that would have been his first name even though his daddy wanted to name him Zippy because he ran everywhere as a baby. lol Zippy has a very regal nature and seems to think he is in charge of everyone in the house, so Irusan fits him well.
Four days after losing Georgie, my aunt passed away after a long fight with cancer. Her daughter, my cousin, was having a terrible time in the days before my aunt died, knowing she was losing her mother and best friend. Since she’s an avid cat lover (like all Baileys, I think), I offered to help find her a kitty. The friend who gave me Valentine, Zippy and Sabrina had a friend whose neighbor had this little guy I named Punkin (aka Doodlebug) up for adoption. I talked to her, and she dropped him off at my home three days before my aunt’s memorial service. The plan was to drop him off at my cousin’s home, then go to the service. Instead, I woke up ill that morning and couldn’t go. Shortly after, my cousin ended up out of work, so I figured there was no rush in taking Punkin to her just yet. However, I was falling in love with the little guy, and he had long since adopted us. Thankfully, my cousin understood the situation, and we are very happy that Punkin entered our lives on April 23, 2014. He was a wildly playful little guy, very creative, unique, vocal and snuggly. Zippy has adopted the role of his protective big brother, and Sabrina as a (mostly) tolerant big sister. I also learned that Punkin had Feline PTSD. I actually saw him have flashbacks. Since I have Complex PTSD, we understood each other all too well, and helped each other during rough times. We lost him unexpectedly on February 10, 2024, and he is sorely missed.
And this little dilute tortie diva is Minnie Rose. The granddaughter of one of our neighbors adopted her as a kitten, then needed to re-home her shortly after, before bringing home her premature baby from the hospital. The neighbor thought of us, and am I glad he did. She is very affectionate and loving, always waiting to give head bonks, purrs, kisses and love nibbles. She also demands having her picture taken when she sees my camera, and poses for the camera. She’s funny too – she chose the name. Her name had been Baby, but she didn’t respond to it. Her first few days were spend hiding in my bedroom closet, so I didn’t have much chance to get to know her at first. As I did though, she struck me as a Minnie. She wasn’t impressed. On a whim, I called her Minnie Rose, my great grandmom’s name. Her entire demeanor immediately changed – she obviously loved the name. I’m glad too, as I also love the name. She is a typical tortoiseshell in that she is very affectionate, chatty, silly and strange.
This handsome fellow is Fergus, named after a king from Irish folklore. Isn’t his tail just magical?! A few days after losing Pretty Boy, a dear friend texted me. She had a friend who had rescued a litter of four, four week old kittens. She immediately thought I might be able to help them, but was hesitant to ask because of our recent loss. My husband and I decided to adopt two of the babies, and I am ever glad we did! On August 22, 2016, we brought home Fergus here and his lovely sister, Grace. Unfortunately, Fergus’ life was not a long one. He died very unexpectedly on June 24, 2020 from I believe a stroke at just under four years old. He appeared healthy, and in fact the morning before he died, spent a good part of it chasing a laser pointer and having zoomies in the hallway. Fergus was an incredibly passionate, sweet and special guy who lived every moment of his short life to the fullest. He is very missed, and always will be, but we are still grateful for having him for as long as we did.
And, here is Grace O’Malley, named after a fierce Irish pirate queen. Both Grace and Fergus are extremely feisty, independent, fun and loving kitties. They are full of adventure and fear nothing. Grace was born with a slight defect in her right arm, but she doesn’t let it slow her down at all. It may cause her to limp some but she can run and wrestle with her brother like any other kitty.
This lovely lady is Molly Eileen, also affectionately known sometimes as My Lil Molly Bean, Lil Sis, and even Dirty Harriet. My parents adopted her just before Thanksgiving, 2009. They called her the little sister and me the big sister, and did that ever stick! Those roles absolutely fit our relationship! Much to my surprise, both of our parents asked me to take her in if anything happened to them. I said fine without even asking my husband, because I figured they would change their minds. Well, they never did. My father died in 2017, my mother almost exactly eighteen months later, and that is when Molly became mine. This poor girl was quite traumatized by my mother’s death, and did not trust me at first as a result. With time, reassurance, and patience, I earned her trust. She made great strides in learning how to live with other cats for the first time, and became their strict aunt who smacked them if they did not listen to me (hence the “Dirty Harriet” nickname my friend gave her). Molly was incredibly smart, sweet and loving. She became very protective and motherly with me. She also was oddly human, probably because of being an only cat for her entire life before I got her. So much so that my husband often referred to her as my little sister in a cat suit. She quietly passed away on July 24, 2024 from multiple serious health problems, and is sorely missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing her, cat or human.
On April 9. 2024, the same old friend of mine who gave us Fergus and Grace contacted me about a litter of four 3.5-4 week old kittens found on a delivery truck at her work. Their mother was nowhere to be found, but thankfully in spite of that, the babies were very well fed, clean and healthy. My friend found homes for two of them, but two still needed a home. That is when she contacted me. I was hesitant to adopt such young babies with Molly being well over 16 years old at the time, but when my friend told me their story, there was no choice. Her coworker lived in a camper in a busy parking lot about a quarter of a mile from work. She told my friend of a cat who had kittens under her camper. A few weeks later, the babies showed up at their job. Their brave mother relocated her four babies to where they would be found in spite of dangerous traffic! The beautiful baby in this picture is Fara. He is adventurous, opinionated, chaotic and fearless. Fara means traveler/adventurer and he definitely lives up to his name!
This beautiful baby is Fara’s sister, Angelique. She is named after Angelique Bouchard from my favorite TV show, “Dark Shadows.” Like her namesake, she is not only incredibly beautiful, everyone who sees her falls under her spell. I certainly did upon seeing her. Angelique is much ore reserved than her brother Fara, preferring to give and receive love or posing for the camera than creating chaos.
