I’m a cat person, I have to admit. My husband is, too. When he moved in with me, he brought his boy Xerxes to live with my girls Anya, Willow, and Kaylee. (I name my cats after Joss Whedon characters because I’m a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.) Anya got too territorial and ended up outside, and a foster kitten I had to give up to a no-kill shelter eventually came back to me, so then there was Glory. Here are some photos of our beautiful feline family.

Update — Meet the Boys!

A few months after the passing of Xerxes, my husband said it would be okay to bring home a kitten, should I find one that needs a home. I was kind of hoping to find an orange boy with a big floofy tail, as I’ve never been adopted by an Orange before.

In true Monica fashion, I located a gorgeous, 6-month-old Orange boy (Steve named him Ramses)…and his brother Sebastian. They came home with us on 11/12/23.

I’ll have better pictures of each of them and will come back and update later with more individual photos as we learn their personalities and watch them tell their stories. For now, here are some previews:

No promises on whether we’ll clean the house before the next photo op. 🙂

Kaylee

Kaylee was one of the fosters that I kept for about 9 months along with her other siblings, Zoe (a Calico who went to a no-kill shelter when I was hospitalized for a brain aneurysm in 2001 – I’m fine now, neurosurgeon said 0% damage), Glory (more info on her later), and Tux, a tuxedo boy that was adopted out to a co-worker. She’s my prettiest girl, and she knows it…her attitude is kind of bullyish with the other cats in the house. Xerxes put up with her grudgingly, but she and Glory fight constantly. She’s about 12 years old in 2022.

Glory

Glory was a litter sister to Kaylee, Zoe, and Tux, and was sent to a no-kill shelter while I was in the hospital, so she’s also about 12 years old in 2022. My good friend adopted her and brought her to live with his grandparents in Corpus Christi. His grandparents ended up going into a facility, so Glory came back to me and she and Kaylee have been at loggerheads ever since. I can’t quite figure it out, but maybe it’s just a sisters thing. They’re my girls and I love them ever so.

Xerxes

June 2006 – June 2023

Xerxes is my husband’s boy that he brought with him when he moved in. He’s the sweetest, chillest boy in the house, and always demands pettinz at night when we go to bed. He’s about 15 years old, acquired during my husband’s first marriage.

Update: Xerxes was taken to the emergency vet clinic on 6/24/2023 after he suffered what seems to be a small stroke, and he crossed the rainbow bridge on that day. We love and mourn him, and there will always be a Xerxes-shaped hole in our hearts. He had just turned 17 years old, and was, as Steve’s guild has described him, “a distinguished gentleman.”

Anya

2004 or thereabouts – unknown

Anya was my tabby girl, but she got a little too territorial when my husband and Xerxes moved in and had to be moved outside. (She was fixed and not declawed, so she lived in the backyard. We even got her a special cat house to stay in during the generally mild Texas winters.) I would go out and feed her every day and give her fresh water and pettinz, and then she stopped showing up. In my heart, I want to believe that she found another home where she could live and be happy and well-treated. That may not be the case, but it’s what I choose to believe since I don’t know any differently.