Suzie-CAT 1991-2008

Age before beauty as the saying goes but I think that Suzie figures pretty strongly in that department too. Suzie was my mum's cat who she'd had from a tiny squeeky kitten and who I finally adopted in August of 2006 after my mum went into a nursing home. She's simply amazing, she'll be 17 years of age in August of 2008. Suzie was an outdoors cat but she is very happy and content to spend most of her day curled up on my bed. When I adopted her I took what I considered to be a calculated risk because as far as I know she doesn't have FIV but, considering her age, the very small risk of infection and the alternative which just didn't bare thinking about I considered it a risk that I had to take. Health-wise Suzie has been absolutely fine, she has always been a very affectionate timid cat who loves human company especially when there's a lap going free. She spends her nights with me and sleeps on my bed & just loves strokes, nose rubbing sessions & catnip. She "tolerates" the boys as long as they don't get too close in which case a quick hiss sorts things out.

31/10/2008 It is with great sadness that I have to announce that Letterbox's legendary and immortal drummer, my lovely gentle girl Suzie passed away yesterday. She was so brave and fought her illness for an incredible 82 days and clung onto life to the very end and she will be so dearly missed. She had a long and happy life and it was a real priviledge to have loved and been loved by her.

Alfie-CAT

What can I say about Alfie?, he's such an amazing character. I adopted Alfie in the spring of 2006 from a cat charity. I was purposely looking for an FIV cat and there he was on the charity's web site after being found as a stray. Alfie is full of fun and life, he is the most curious one and loves to get into mischief. He really took to his best mate Frankie when he arrived and they are always playing together and chasing each other around. Health-wise I have had very few concerns except for a few bouts of conjunctivitis Alfie has been in excellent health. It has to be said that Alfie loves his food, there are few things that Alfie loves more that a good bowl of his favourite nosh. Alfie is also a very affectionate cat, he loves giving head butts and licking my arms and forehead and he sometimes licks Frankie as well if he thinks that Frankie hasn't made a good enough job of cleaning himself. There's not enough space to write about all the things that Alfie gets up to (See Alfie and friend's Photo Album) but to cut a long story short he's such a fun-loving cat full of life, energy and fun. He's also very much the inspiration behind this web site.

Frankie-CAT

Last but by no means least there's Frankie, if this page was in size order Frankie would be at the top as he's certainly ahead in the weight department and I always joke that "lb for £" Frankie was great value as he was a bit of a heavyweight when I adopted him. Like Alfie, I adopted Frankie from a cat charity and, also like Alfie, Frankie has FIV. All I know about Frankie is that he originally came from a 13 cat household and that he was born in April 2003. Frankie is a gentle giant. I discovered very early that he is a very affectionate cat who loves nothing better than a lap to lay on for tummy rubs and his food. He also fitted in very well with Alfie and Suzie. It took him only three days of hiding under a shelving unit after I adopted him before he decided that he'd found his "forever home" and since then he's a very happy bumbling cat, I call him that because he "bumbles" around miaowing softly to himself. Health-wise he hasn't caused me any concern since I adopted him, he's a really happy healthy cat. I also call Frankie my BBC (Big Black Cat) and they don't come much bigger than Frankie!.

The Mogfather- CAT / HUMAN THING

"Frankie, type something here when you get a sec. will you mate?"

"Okay Leigh I'll give it a shot". In my new-found capacity as Leigh's official biographer here's a few words about him. Leigh is, except for our matriarch Suzie, in human years, the oldest one of us. He is apparently University educated with something called an honours degree in some scientific mumbo-jumbo that we don't understand and, frankly, (excuse the pun) care much about. He has a keen sense of humour which comes in very handy when dealing with some of our antics and he has been making a film for the better part of the last two years which he keeps telling us will be finished by Christmas but he never says which Christmas. Leigh has always enjoyed the company of animals, especially cats. He can't dance, he can't juggle and his ears are too small but he is extremely dextrous with his opposable thumbs when it comes to opening cat food cans. One of Leigh's favourite pastimes is sleeping but we see to it that he doesn't get nearly as much of it as he'd like. I nearly fogot to mention he loves photography, graphics and music and used to play the drums in his misspent youth.

"How was that Leigh?"
"Outstanding big fella, outstanding!, getcha a case of cat food for that one, I couldn't have done better if I'd done it myself. I luvvvvvvvvvvv the smell of cat food in the morning, smells like... smells like hake and sardine flavour ".
(with apologies to Francis Ford Coppola et. al.)