A house is not a home without a pet

I'm pretty passionate when it comes to animals. Another great attribute passed down to me from my mom. I grew up on a horse farm. When leaving a door open, she always would say 'Were you born in the barn?'.... it's questionable. I spent long summer days playing in the attic of the barn in my 'clubhouse' (where my fellow club members were beloved barn cats) or climbing trees (again, with the cats). Throughout the years, aside from horses and cats, I also had dogs, bunnies, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, iguanas, fish, and salamanders. Living in OKC I don't have quite the menagerie that I used to but I probably have more pets than most.

I've had Bacchus the cockatiel since my old roommate brought him home from Petsmart in 2004. We have a love hate relationship. Sometimes I love him, and when he's squawking super loud I absolutely hate him. He's actually really funny and even though I try to give him away constantly, the house would be a little too quiet without him.

I adopted Jasmine from the OKC Humane Society in August of 2006. She was the only cat who was in the back of her crate asleep but she was also the only cat who was already declawed (and Jeremy insisted on no claw on his leather furniture) and since I don't believe in declawing, she was the lucky cat. She's turned out to have a great personality and she's pretty talkative.

Monty, Zoe, & Frankie

The next addition was Monty. I found him at the Norman Animal Shelter in January of 2009. He was bony and shivering.... his little eyes just begged me to take him home. I got him home and took him to the vet only to find out that he had heartworms (even though the shelter said they tested him and the test came back negative). $1,500 and a few months later, Monty was heartworm free. He gained weight and although he still barks at strangers and men, he's cuddly and happy.

Baby Zoe

Next came Zoe. She came from the co-worker of a friend of my co-worker in April of 2009. She was the last of her litter and they were going to take her to the shelter so I said I'd take her. She was about 4 pounds when I got her and she fit in one hand. She's a little bigger than that now but her personality is huge. She's definitely the leader of the pack and super bossy. But she's also a big baby and always wants to be held or snuggled.

Zoe & Baby Frankie

Then there's Franklin. or Frankie. He came from a co-worker who was dating a police officer in Norman who found a litter of puppies and was trying to find homes for them. She wanted to keep him but her dog didn't like him so Jeremy asked me if I wanted him. He was a 7 pound wiggly little black and white puppy and it was love at first sight. He now weighs about 90 pounds, but he has no clue. He plays with the little dogs and loves the cats and always wants to sit on my lap. He knows how to open the patio door and is an expert when it comes to digging huge holes.

Zoe & Frankie

aw, baby Elizabeth

Elizabeth and Cleopatra

The final addition came in May of 2010 when my boss called me after a huge storm. He went by the office to check out the damage and found a litter of baby kitties. I went in the next morning to check on them and they were right where he left them, so I assumed their mom wasn't coming back. They didn't even have their eyes open, so I took them inside and went to Petsmart to get formula. I became the designated cat mom and took the kittens with me everywhere I went, feeding them every 3-4 hours. We thought the white kitten was a boy so we named it Sebastian (after Shasta's favorite guy at the MAC counter) and the black kitten became Cleopatra. When they were a little bigger I took them to the vet and found out Sebastian was actually a girl, who is now Elizabeth Taylor. They have no clue they're cats. The drink water out of glasses, sleep in the dog crates, and greet me at the door when I get home. I said I wasn't going to keep them.... but now I'm attached and they're just part of the family. 

Frankie & Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth cat napping

Cleo, Elizabeth and Zoe