Our Zoo - 4 cats - 2 dogs & 1 bunny

I am joining Nancy at My Crafty Little Page today for her event Dog Days of Summer to celebrate those little fur babies that so many of us have within our own families. I know I have always had pets, and now that I am all grown up, I have a zoo. I am very close to my fur babies and have found throughout the years that they are always there for me. They have this quiet little way of giving you love when you are down, giving your heart a giggle, and making you feel like you are the most loved person on the face of the earth. I love my zoo, which includes four cats, two dogs and one bunny. I hope you enjoy them too! Meow, Bark, Nibble Nibble!

I have always had a cat, and when my husband and I got together, we instantly had four. Now, I like having four and when I don't I feel like something just isn't right.

Foxy, black, was my husbands. She is a total queen. But she is also such a cuddler when sleeping with us at night. Her sister was Roxy, who passed away, but Tiger is her daughter. Tiger was the cutest kitten, and I know I had to keep her. She was MINE! Funny thing is that when I was pregnant with my oldest, Tiger always sat on my belly. I think it is what started their close bond to one another. As you can see in the pictures, Tiger is her baby.

When my husband and I dated years (over 20) there was a stray cat, also black. Now this cat drove me crazy. He was either hit by a car or attacked by a dog and had to have surgery. My mother in law (well, she wasn't at the time) told me that she would pay for the work if I would take him. I did, and fell so in love with this cat. I called him Poo Bear, but his official name was Edisto, named for the beach we travel to yearly. You can see pictures of him in the post below this one. I had that cat for over 12 years. When he became ill and I knew it "was time" it was one of the worse days of my life. I was so close to him and he just had this way of always taking care of me and slept with me every night too. I held him like a teddy bear. I had him cremated, and as crazy as it sounds, his little ashes are right next to my bed.

So, why do I tell you this long tail (ha ha tale), because it leads to Patch. Sweetest kitty and I found her and her brother on a country road in Kentucky while driving to my grandfathers. They were the tiniest things, right there on the side of the road. I caught her immediately, and her brother, Puff, took over an hour to catch. I thought Poo Bear sent them to me. Unfortunately, Puff became ill and when my family and I were on vacation, my friend who was watching my animals, had a boyfriend that accidental let him out. I was traumatized when I found him on the side of the road. Just broke my heart!

A few months later, I was searching for a black, male cat. I was even considering any other color, just wanted God to bring me a new male cat to bond with. I searched in the paper every weekend, and while taking my youngest to Mother's Day Out one day, was thinking about looking in the paper when I got home. When I walked in the door, there was a sign at the reception desk with a picture of the cutest black kitten. It said, "I need a home"! The rest is history... and that brings me to Coco, which is short for Co-Knee-Co 黒い子ネコor black kitten. We have traveled to Japan and love it there, so thus the name. He is awesome and if I didn't know any better, sometimes I would swear he was Poo Bear himself. Coco lays in the same exact spots that Poo Bear did, stays by my side always, like Poo Bear did, calls for me when he doesn't know where I am, and it sounds EXACTLY like Poo Bear.

Some of you already know Sandee, who is doing much better since her accident with a car a few months ago. She has gained all of her weight back and is getting around well. We adopted her from the Humane Society a few years ago and she is named after Sandy Squirrel on Sponge Bob, Sandy, the song in Grease, and Sandy, my husband's first love. Well, that's my joke anyway. She is the best dog and is always by my side.

Mocha the bunny came next a few years ago. We adopted him from The Tennessee Fair and know we know that rabbits don't get enough credit. This bunny uses the cat door to the garage, uses a litter box and is such a great house pet. He just jumps all over and lays on the floor and gets along with everyone. He and Coco are best buddies and will stay together all day if they can. That is the only time Coco isn't always with me. They chase each other all around and nap together. Too cute!

Ohm is our other pup. He is a Spitz and was named by my husband, the electrical engineer. We had been looking for a new puppy for me. I wanted a Chiwawa (spell?) but then, after seeing some miniature pinchers outside of The Killers concert, I decided I wanted one of them and that I wanted to name it Killer. Well, my husband was looking as well and saw this little guy a few times at the animal shelter. He just fell in love with him, and the rest is history. His "one year birthday" will be next month. He is the best dog, a great watch dog, a big love, best buds to Sandee (even came for us after her accident and that is when I knew something was wrong) and whenever Chuck is out of town, he stays outside later in the evening and just sits in the front yard keeping watch.

So there you have my longest post ever about our big zoo. I love my animals and they really add to all of my families lives. In fact, they are part of this family and we love them with all our hearts.