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This weekend we had so much fun with our babies! (pets) We have been having some health problems with a few of them so to have all of them cooperating the last few days was a relief!

Let me introduce you to my boys, (5 feline, 1 canine) by age...

Radar is our senior citizen and the neighborhood bully! At 15 years old (in April) and 18 pounds he is still kick'in furry butt! Literally, my daughter had to go across the street and bring him home the other day because he was staking out the sidewalk and wouldn't let the neighbor's cat out of their garage. She picked him up and he leaned over her shoulder and growled at the other cat all the way home! He is also suffering some hearing loss and gets confused at times, picking on his brothers and bawling at doors. He is so stink'in cute when he drools (he is missing teeth) and complains about getting his face washed, you can't help but love him.

Gilbert is our introvert & suffers from OCD. He was also our first orphan and came to us at about 4 weeks old on 9/11/01. He will be 10 in August.  My daughter named him and it fits because he has an unusual sense of humor, taking great satisfaction in biting us when he is happy. He has kidney trouble so has to be outside most of the time which leaves him at the mercy of Radar who is either bullying him or bathing him to Gilbert's dismay. I can sympathize, but he really does look adorable with his backward, drool-do mohawk on top of his head! He doesn't make much sound. His meow is more of a "click" and he doesn't like being held, but has the loudest purr when you talk to him. He's happiest basking in the sunshine.

Winston, also an orphan, is the "mama's boy"! We got him at 1 week old and I bottle fed him for almost 4 months. He was a hard one to ween. In my defense, how can you not spoil something that fits in the palm of your hand? (He will be nine yrs. old in August.) Well, Winston still sleeps with his face smashed into the palm of my hand while the rest of him reclines on his own pillow at the top of the bed. He doesn't love any of his brothers, deliberately starts fights, has to have his own water dish, and thinks all the dog's toys belong to him. He loves to snuggle and will climb into my husband's lap or slink under my arm and tuck his head under my chin when he is sleepy. He is also a cheese fanatic! Don't even attempt to open a string cheese without sharing! The inhabitants of my household say he is a demon with horns. I say he is an angel and the horns are there so his halo doesn't slip!

Sab'or will be 6 in May. He and his brother, Kendall were also orphans. Sab'or is our tattle-tale. Even when he is the one causing mischief he will start catter-wailing just to get attention. He is our nit-pik, staring at the dog just so he can cry because the dog looks at him. Pinning his brother in a bear hug just to hear him cry, and running through the house like an elephant just to get you to come see what he's up to. He is also our nosy child and scratches on door frames and carpet if the door is closed. My husband and I have our suspicions about him. He is a "closet-lover"& prefers males. He will ignore everyone in the daytime but the minute we turn out the lights to go to bed he is right there for his loves. I'm o.k. with having a "gay" kid. I don't want to change him, I love him just the way he is.

Kendall is our fat kid. He also has kidney problems and the special food we have to buy can cause cats to gain weight. His food is monitored and you know how that goes... the more you deny-the more you want!
Do not ever say breakfast at our house without getting the breakfast. This little guy will  beg for food, take you to the food container, attempt to open it (it snaps shut) and lead you to his food dish! He was discovered the other day inside a new bag of cat food gorging himself. Of course it was Sab'or who ratted him out!
Kendall is also our smarty-pants! He can sit, high five, lie down, and fetch! Fetch is his favorite game and we have various pom-poms places strategically around the house. He also can open doors and sneaks out when no one is looking which frustrates us to no end because the world scares him! We can always tell when he is stressed because his usually sleek  tail looks like a feather duster.

Our baby and only canine, Khan, will be 5 in April. He weighs 110 pounds but will only admit to 90 so he can still climb in your lap. He loves learning new tricks, and shopping day because he knows when the groceries are brought in there is "cookies" in one of the bags. He is very, very smart. In every pack there is a leader and he knows that it is NOT sister! I know when he is ignoring her because he doesn't think my daughter is the boss and turns his head away with his nose in the air, it's funny to watch but bad training on our part. (we are continuing to work on it) Khan also loves babies and riding in the car. He even knows the way to grandma's house and gets so excited when we are close! Most of the time he gets along with his feline brothers. (except Winston) He will even share our bed with them if they don't start hissing. When the hissing starts he thinks it's a cue to wrestle and none of the brothers like to wrestle with him which means mom usually intervenes.

Over all, I would say it's probably no different at my house than it is at another's with 5 human kids living in close quarters with each other, but I refuse to admit any of my babies will grow up to be teenagers! After all, they still believe I'm the boss, will do anything for a cookie, hate to be left alone, and believe a kiss fixes everything! Who could want for more than that?

"When you have pets, who needs chocolate?"