Marco didn't come to me the way Jogger came to Tori -- I got him at the local SPCA shelter. He had actually been dumped outside its doors. A gorgeous cat like that -- can you imagine it?

Little Peach did follow me home, though not from the 7-Eleven. As in the book, he was covered with car grease -- he also had bites all over from other cats and a fever from infection. Poor little baby-face.

Scooter's story is true. My daughter, Hillary, and I discovered Neaera at a donut shop, and a friend helped me rescue her. She's named for a character in the British film Turtle Diary. The Neaera in the movie is a writer who helps "kidnap" a giant sea turtle from a zoo.

Like Marco, Katie (short for Katarina) is from the SPCA shelter. When I saw her little two-dot nose, I couldn't resist her!

Felicity was a stray who was taken in by a musician. When he moved on, he was going to put her back on the street, so I said I'd take her. She's a tiny cat -- very sweet and shy.

A friend at work rescued Robert Redfur from the street as a half-grown kitten. He's always into mischief but so cute that it's hard to scold him. Robert shares his opinions freely -- he even knows one Russian word! When I tell him to quit doing something, he shouts "Nyet, nyet!" and runs off muttering about what a party pooper I am.