Undoubtedly my favorite subject to photograph! ^^ What is it about cute, fuzzy animals that makes them so good for the camera? I can't figure it out, but it seems there's always a cat or dog nearby doing something adorable or funny that I just have to capture. If this huge section doesn't prove I'm an animal lover, I don't know what will...
| Places | Pets | People |
This is my cat, Max. He's currently the only man in my life (that's not saying much, huh?). I got him from a pet store as a kitten when I was ten years old. He's a real sweetie, but is shy around strangers and easily frightened by loud noises. I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture, but he's BIG. He's not fat, but he's just a really big cat. Because he's getting on in years, he still lives with my parents even though I no longer do. It just seemed too cruel to uproot him when he's lived there all his life. I miss him...
Max is also very lazy...but then, he IS a cat. Basically, whenever you see him, he's almost always sleeping. Here are some more shots of him lounging around Mom and Dad's house:
 |
 |
 |
This is my father's cat, Jazmyne. Unlike Max, she appeared by wandering into the garage one summer. She refused to leave, so she became part of the family, and she adores my Dad! Jazmyne's a pretty odd-looking cat. She's part Siamese and has beautiful blue eyes and one of those elegant meows. But her markings suggest some tiger blood in her too. My Mom says she's funny looking, but I think she's gorgeous. ^^
Jazmyne is more of a wanderer than Max, and she likes to stray far off of the property. I guess it makes her tired! She sleeps in some pretty cute positions (case in point). This is her primary sleeping spot atop the couch in the den. That blanket is always covered with her fur!
 |
 |
 |
When I moved in with my sister, I also "inherited" her animal collection. This is Phoebe, the boss of the house, though you'd never know it if you met her. She is the sweetest, most cuddly kitty in the world! She's very inquisitive about most things and loves to "help" whenever I or someone else is doing something. She even sits on my desk and watches me write HTML for this site. She also likes to sleep in laundry baskets, whether or not the clothes are clean or dirty!
This Maggie, Phoebe's sister. She sort of "adopted" me as her person when I moved in. She's almost always down in the basement with me, keeping me company or getting in the way. She's not as openly affectionate as Phoebe is, but she's still a sweetheart, and I'd be hard pressed to find better company in my subterranean lair. ^^
The other thing is that Maggie loves my bed. It's become a rare day that I don't wake up and find her curled up next to me. It's great in the winter since she's nice and warm, but she's a wicked bed hog! You wouldn't think that one small cat could take up more than half of a queen-sized bed, but she somehow manages!
The third and final cat in the house is Cassie. She's very shy and even we don't see much of her during the day because she hides. She also tries to act like she's evil incarnate, but in reality she's just a big softy underneath. Cassie is probably one of the fattest cats I know; she weighs almost 14 pounds! One of her favorite places is atop my desk (right), so no matter how much I dust, there's always fur all over my workspace!
 |
 |
 |
 |
My family doesn't lack on the canine front either. My parents have three Golden Retrievers, and this is the oldest one, Murphy. He's more than a little high strung since he likes to jump on visitors and climb into my Mom's lap. (Despite the fact that he weighs nearly 100 pounds!) He also likes to run and play with his little brothers, Seamus and Kallahan.
Speaking of the devil, this is the middle dog Seamus. He came from the same breeder and biologically, he is Murphy's half-brother. Seamus is a little more mellow usually, but he likes to dig in my Mom's flower bed! He's just like a teddy bear. He loves nothing more than to curl up next to you on the couch and let you pet him. He's a real sweetie.
And this is the third member of the terrible trio, Kallahan. Mom just got him for Christmas (2003), so he's not even full grown yet. Isn't he cute? He's just as friendly as the other two, if not more so, and pretty much everything he does is adorable.
 |
 |
 |
 |
This is Theodore (Teddy for short), my sister's Bassett Hound. He must be the most pathetic looking animal on the planet! He's an OK dog, I guess, though I get rather annoyed when he decides to mark in the house. He can really be quite a jerk when he wants to be. Mostly he behaves...mostly...
The newest addition to our menagerie is this guy, Luke. He was my sister's Christmas present (2003), so he's still quite little. He's a red-boned coonhound and possibly the dumbest puppy I've ever met. He's certainly cute, but he's proving to be quite difficult to train because there's so much empty space between his ears. And he barks. A lot.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Oh, and I can't forget this guy! This is my pet Betta, Eclipse. The picture doesn't really do him justice. He's a beautiful fish, and the most active betta I've owned to date. He swims around his tank, exploring the unknown depths within the sunken barrels, requires very little care, and makes a great conversation piece. For five dollars, that's hard to beat! ^^