Desert Cats

Shmudla is my aristo cat. Polyglot fasion expert, color consultant and opera singer, Shmudla can pronounce my name ("mrrrRION") in Czech, French and Spanish. With his unusual fur and markings, he might be part Turkish van. Shmudla is a great jumper, and announces each leap by flicking his tail and "chirping". He also confiscates all my pens.

Caliche is the original Arizona wild cat. Although he insisted I take him in (see the Catmother of Coronado Heights, Caliche is perfectly capable of surviving in the wild. While Sam and Shmudla ogle the birds and fantasize, Caliche catches and crunches every rodent, beetle and lizard in the back 40. He and his cat buddies stay out all night drinking, smoking cigars and playing poker in the basement of the party house next door. In the morning, you'll find him crashed out in some hole he dug or lying in the drip of water from the outdoor tap.

Chat, ou pasha?

Sam is an adult Norwegian Forest Cat who came to live with me in May, 2002. His ragged ears are a reminder of his days as a street fightin' cat (Sam is short for "Samurai"). Now a luscious lap cat who gives great massages, Sam can still clear a six-foot fence in a single bound.

After a rough start, Sam and Caliche are now best buddies.