RALPH 1967-1971 Born in North Carolina, raised in Delaware. Orange, part Persian. A fun cat who didn't live long enough. Liked to sleep in the (unused) fireplace. Trained to pee in the toilet, although he only did it twice.   MOMMA 1973-1992 Moved into the Husband's condo's small fenced-in yard and had a litter of nine kittens. The Husband had no interest in another cat, and waited for her to raise them and move on. But Momma did such a helluva job caring for her kittens that he and the pre-Wife had to find homes for all the kittens except one, which they kept, along with Momma. Momma was thereafter known as a "helluva cat."   PUFFY 1976-1984 One of Momma's kittens, she contracted a respiratory infection, requiring intervention by the Husband. The vet prescribed the appropriate antibiotic, and the pre-Wife volunteered to care for her during her recovery, and that assured that we would keep her. Named Puffy, because the infection had caused her face to puff up. SCRUFFY 1978-1995 Found under a bush by the Husband, eyes swollen shut with the same respiratory infection that had threatened Puffy, and abandoned by the mother to protect her other kittens. Intervention by the Husband pretty much guaranteed that we would be keeping this cat also. Named Scruffy 'cause she really was a disheveled mess when found.   SQUEAKER 1985-1998 Found her way into the house (through the cat door) on a cold January night, and brought attention to herself when Momma attacked, protecting the home territory. She was very scrawny and undernourished, but recovered well to outweigh Momma, a much larger cat. Squeaker's curt, sharp meow gave her her name. An eternally friendly cat.   C.C. 1999-2004 Found wandering in the same woods in which Opie was found. A definite people cat, she "talked" all the time ("meow" was her response to everything). She followed Opie everywhere, emulating everything he did. They became close friends, watching out for each other. Opie misses her as much as the Spouses do.