Precious: cat

born: May 1983
description: all white with blue eyes 
pedigree: pure bred ally cat
died: June 2002

Paco : cat

born: October 1986
description: all black with green eyes 
died: March 1999
pedigree: pure bred ally cat

Thomas : cat

born: ?
description: butterscotch & white with green eyes 
died: ?
pedigree: pure bred ally cat

born: 1990
description: black & gray died:
pedigree: pure bred ally cat

Champ: dog

born: 1970
description: all white with one brown ear 
died: 1987
pedigree: Heinz 57 (While vacationing in Germany, I was told that I was Bulgarian/Yugoslavian sheep dog.)
A little background information about Champ.  He loved to chase cats.  He loved to chase cats, only if they would become frightened and run.  If they didn't run, he became confused and then he didn't what to do.

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Precious

I was born on Memorial day.  The people that I have chosen to stay with saw me the day I was born.  I was the last of the four to be born.  I came out backwards or something.  My fur stood straight up.  The master, or so he thinks, wanted to call me Phyliss Diller.  Luckily, the mistress decided to call me Precious.  The next 3 or 4 months are sort of a blur.
I do remember one strange animal.  My mother's owners wanted to go on vacation.  My brothers and sisters went to stay with my present owners.  One day, the five of us are in our box and this strange white creature stuck his big black nose into the box.  My mother looked at him, sniffed his nose and jumped out of the box.  The four of us were left to defend ourselves against this monster.  We backed into a corner, hunched our backs and hissed as loud and as long as we could.  He sniffed around in the box and left.  A few months later I learned that the monster's name was Champ.    My mother and Champ had been friends for about a year.  Now I know why she left us alone in the box to face him.
After my mother decided that I could eat real food, I went to stay with Ruth & Dale, my present home.  I became real good friends with Champ.  He liked to lay on the bed with his nose close to the edge.  I would sneak up to the edge of bed, reach out with one paw and bat his nose.  He'd wake up and bark and I'd run under the bed.  When Champ would be walking around, I liked to run between his legs or jump over his back.  If I tripped him, he would bark at me and I would run off to some place he couldn't go, i.e., under a chair.
After his death, I didn't really care too much about anything.  When I went outside, I liked to lay in his favorite spot.
[back]

Paco

I don't recall to much about my first three months of life, either.  I do remember wandering into a yard one day just to see what was there.  The next thing I know, some big black dog has me in his mouth and shaking me.  I have heard of shaking hands, but never shaking cats.  Some kids started yelling and screaming.
Some lady came out her back door to see what was going on.  When she saw me, she told the kids to take me away from the dog.  They did.  She told the kids to bring me to her.  They did.
She held me and talked to me.  She brought me in the house and fed me.  I ate and ate and ate and then found what looked like a comfortable chair, covered with an orange and black afghan.  I settled in, slept for an hour, got up, ate some more of that good food and settled on the couch in the TV room.
After about a 6 hour nap, I woke to find that I was not alone.  There was Precious and Champ.  They were looking at me and wondering if I was going to stay or leave.
I stayed.  Who would be dumb enough to give up free room and board?  Champ was the boss of the house and who wants to mess with the boss?
After he died, I became the boss until Thomas came on the scene.  I out weighed Precious by 5 to 8 pounds.
I liked to help Dale when he trying to work at his desk.  Depending on my mood, I'd either get up on the desk and lay on the paperwork or I'd get up on the desk, and while sitting up, play with the pen or pencil he was using.
If he was at the computer and ignoring me, I'd walk across the keyboard.  That got his attention!
P.S. from Dale, the human who thought that he was the master.

I do a lot of night driving.  I see animals, wild and domestic, laying on the side of the road.  I am glad that I had the opportunity to hold Paco in my arms before he died.  He told me "good bye" and "thank you".  The animals along the side of road never had that chance.

[back]

Thomas

One night, I'm doing what I do best, wandering through the alley ways.  I came to this cement block wall.  I jumped up, looked around and jumped down into the yard.  I started exploring this yard.  As I get closer to the house, I saw a big black cousin out there.  We talked for awhile and he told me there is some dry food just inside the door.  I went in and started to eat.  Not bad for dry food.
While I'm eating, Dale came into the room.  I looked at him and put on my best manners.  I started to purr and rub his legs.  He called Ruth.  When she got in the room, I purred and meowed.  I kept talking and talking to her.  Neither of them had the heart to tell me to leave.  So, I found a chair and went to sleep.  When I woke up, the door that I entered was closed, so I decided to make the best of the situation.
I wandered around the house and found Paco and Dale.  I jumped up on the bed and went to sleep.
Around 6 am, Paco woke up Dale for breakfast.  As long as Paco was going to eat, I thought I'd join him.  Then I asked to go out.
If I was out all night, which was usually the case, when I got back to the house, I'd jump up on the window sill.  The window was open just a crack.  I'd lay out there and talk to Paco.  Dale would then get up and let me in and feed the three of us.
Some of my cousins think "people food" isn't fit for felines.  I disagree.  When Dale was eating, I would get on the table and help myself from his plate.
[back]

 My first home wasn't very nice.  The people would pick me up and throw me across the room when I got on their bed.  I didn't like that and to this day, I don't like to be picked up.
Finally, a nice boy about 20 years old took me to his house.  It was there I met Dale and Ruth.  I got to know them quite well.  The people I was staying with liked to go to Minnesota during the Summer.  I guess because it was cooler there than here in Tucson.  Every once in awhile, Ruth and Dale would come out to feed me.  I knew the sound of their van, so, I would be by the door when they came in.  I would meow and rub their legs and beg to be feed, even if I had just eaten 10 minutes before.  When anyone picked up my dish, I would bat at it with my right paw.  Sometimes I would connect with the dish and knock it out of their hands.  Most of the time, I missed it.  That was just a game to me.
This one day in May, 2001, there was a lot of discussion about my fate.  The people were going to Minnesota again and the kid who brought me to this house was married.  He was waiting for his house to be built.  He and his bride wanted to move into his folks' house while they were in Minnesota.  Shouldn't be a problem, right?
Wrong!  His bride is allergic to cats and she is pregnant.  They fussed and worried about this for several days.  They finally decided to ask Ruthie and Dale.  If they said "No", I would end up at the humane society and probably be put to sleep.
Ruthie didn't like the idea as Precious was the only cat in the house.  She didn't know how Precious would react.  Precious had been the only animal in the house since Paco died in `99.  On the other hand, she didn't want me to be put to sleep, either.  Dale said, "Let's try it and see what happens".
One night while Dale was at work, I was brought to my present home.  When I arrived, I was a mess.  I was so scared riding in that cage!  I didn't really know where I was going.  I pee'd all over the cage and of course, got some on me.
When I was carried into the house, I recognized Ruthie's voice.  I felt a little better.  The minute the cage door was opened, I ran out and started bathing.  Ruthie saw my miserable condition and got a towel and helped me.  I washed myself for several minutes after she stopped.  When I thought I was presentable, I jumped up onto the love seat and settled down and went to sleep.  As for Precious, even though she is a senile senior citizen, she was OK.
I was still on the love seat when Dale came home, about three hours later.  I just looked at him and went back to sleep after he petted me.  As for Precious, she has her senile moments.  She likes to be boss.  She will hiss and spit and me and sometimes she swats at me.  But, most of the time, she leaves me alone.  One time I and Precious were on the love seat at the same time.  She was on one end and I on the other.
As for people food, some of it is OK.  I do like a little milk at supper time.  I use to get up on the table and drink from Dale's glass.  If the milk was too far down and I couldn't get my head in the glass, I'd use my paw.  It worked; it just took longer.  Then Ruthie started putting some milk a dish for me. Even when the milk is in a small bowl, I still like to use my paw.
I am making myself at home.  I sleep anywhere I like, so long as Precious isn't there.  Dale and Ruth let me have my way, Precious doesn't.
After I've eaten, I like to relax, let it all hang out
Dale thinks I should join Barnum & Bailey and be a people trainer.  I have trained Ruthie and Dale real well (I always get what I want and when I want it) and I'm sure I could train other people just as well.

That is our story, now lets hear yours.
Dale Schunke , Tucson, AZ

Now I would like to visit 
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