I am down to 1 kitty now as just had to put my male tuxedo down in May as he had the cat's version of AIDS. Never knew they could get it but he did some how. Since then I started collecting photos of my past pets/buddies and made up a family portrait (family tree) and placed it in the dining room for all to see. Here are some of those I've loved and lost.....
1st is Charlie, I found him all torn up and beaten on the side of the road. He had part of his bottom jaw missing when I found him.
Next came Mitzi, I found her in the newspaper. Seems she didn't get along with the new puppy so they were getting rid of her or else put her down. Her and Charlie got along great to the point that when she died, Charlie had a broken heart and died a couple months later.
Next came the Boys as I called them. A mixed Scotty/Corgi I found at the pound, 13 years old then, my little man as he just loved to be petted and never made a fuss. My shepherd I found in the newspaper, 150 pound baby. He was obedience trained and my protector. I traveled with both my boys from Florida to Nebraska to visit my family. They got to see snow for the 1st time one Fall and loved it. The next summer I had to put them both down. The little guy was 19 and the big guy was 13. I've never replaced them ever.
Next came Miss Boo Baby, my Himalayan I got from a case I worked with the police dept. She came just a couple months before I had to put the boys down. She died a tragic death from 2 dogs that got loose in the neighborhood. She was my lap baby and loved to ride in the car as her and Skooter went with me when I visited my beau.
Next came Skooter a peach faced parrot with a twisted body and beak. He was such a treat to care for. He couldn't walk or hold on to much but he could fly. He would meet me in the PC room when I came home every morning and opened his cage. He would sit on my lap for hours and then I'd put him in his cage outside to enjoy the other birds.
My neighbor left his cat behind, Stella. Boy doesn't she have a mean look on her face but she moved up to Iowa with me from Florida.
Then came Pepper, she came from the pound in Iowa, left on the road at 9 months old. She is still with me today and now my lap kitty.
Loved Pepper so much that I got her a buddy from the Vet, Max, a Hemingway kitty with extra toes. He's the one that acquired AIDS and had to be put down. Its contagious and after having Pepper checked for it and came out negative, I had to protect her. Max by that time was in pain and failing fast.
Last by not least a photo of a kitty my beau at the time found on the side of the highway in Florida just after Miss Boo Baby died. And of course her name is Highway. Just 6-7 weeks old at the time and now 9 years old and 15 pounds. Runs the roost at his place of 10 acres. Here is a photo of her and Skooter. Skooter is not afraid of anything as you can see from the pic. She's just about ready to bite Highway's toes. Highway had been attacking her playfully every morning and she decided to turn the tables on her.
My photos may be out of order of the summary but I'm sure you get the jest of it.
Pets have a way to bring love into your family and leave a mark on your heart. I loved all my pets and remember them fondly every time I walk by my Family Album.