I am very blessed to have a man in my life that I love more with each passing day. Dan and I became a couple many years ago at a point in our lives when our children were practically adults themselves and while we would have loved having a child of our own, that was just not meant to be. We cherish the relationship our collective family shares – we all get along great and I consider Dan’s kids mine, and vice versa.

When Dan moved in with me, as a special gift, I got him a kitten – the infamous Zee – and a short while after that, as a gift to myself, I got my beloved Zoey. Well, just like Dan and I fell head over heels in love with one another, so did Zee and Zoey. The only difference, they did have children together and that’s how this new path I have embarked upon as an author, blogger, and cat advocate all began.

The happy lovebirds, Zee and Zoey.

The pregnancy came as a surprise and while I don’t consider Zee and Zoey my children per se, for Dan and I, they are cherished family members that we deeply love like our children. We were fascinated with Zoey’s pregnancy and were very much looking forward to adopting one of her kittens and having it grow up with us as our newest feline family member. We envisioned the combination of our Maine Coon, Zee, with our Bengal, Zoey, as some wildly exotic creature that would grace our world. Somehow we fancied an animal with a flowing mane of fur like a great lion, a giant bushy tail like a squirrel, and a glistening coat of long fur with a beautiful pattern of wild and exotic spots like a leopard….

Um… well, anyhow, what we got was four adorable kittens, but they were nothing like what we imagined!! In a nutshell, they all looked identical at birth and were basically Zoey, but dipped in a darker color like Zee! Obviously none of that was important – they were healthy and was what really mattered.  The love affair was instant and we decided to keep all of them except one that was promised to a dear friend of ours (Zeuss Catt) who lives in Boston. It was a task telling them apart the first few months, but as time went on and their personalities emerged, like a parent with triplets, Dan and I knew who was who quite easily.

This was the kittens at two weeks old when their eyes started to open. As you can see, telling them apart was quite a feat!

And actually, if you look really closely at them, they all are completely unique and different. So, for those of you that have been asking me that infernal question lately, “just how do we tell them apart,” here is a quick guide for you!

Our little Miss Mia.

Mia. Mia is the sweetest kitty on this earth and she has a tiny little face with a gorgeous swirl pattern on her side that is compliments of the swirl Zee has, combined with Zoey’s spots. When the sun hits her just right, her undercoat glows with the warm caramel color of her Mama and she communicates with an adorable chirping kind of meow. She is relatively shy and reserved, saving most of her love and attention for her Papa Zee, but lately she has come out of her shell more with Dan and I and follows us around like a puppy dog. She is an extremely finicky eater, but her one vice is Temptations Treats. You cannot walk into the kitchen without her reminding you that they are in the pantry and she wants some!

Our loving Peanut – if you look closely, you can see her special trademark…

Peanut. Peanut is our other sweet girl and she is a LOVER. This cat will meow endlessly and tap your cheek with her paw to let you know she either wants to be patted or to cuddle on your lap. Ironically, this is only reserved for daylight hours when you are on the computer. She does not snuggle in the evening and never sleeps in our bed at night. Peanut has the darkest fur of her siblings and has a long and angular face with big pebble like spots on her coat. She also has a unique trademark – there is the number “5” on the left side of the top of her back . Peanut loves everyone, but she especially loves to hang out with Dan during weekdays and will even jump up onto his shoulders to walk around with him! On weekends, when I am home, she snuggles in my lap as I get caught up on my blogging.

Our big boy hunter, Rolz.

Rolz. Rolz is the male of the bunch and is a quirky cat. He loves to be around us, but does not want to be touched. If you do touch him, he melts on the floor like a pool of water, almost like he has no bones in his body. The weird thing though, sometimes he does want to be patted – for the past few days he has actually been seeking attention and Dan has been graced with his presence the past few mornings as Rolz nuzzles his head into Dan’s hand, asking to have some loving. Rolz is a magnificent cat and has the lightest coat of the siblings. Rather than spots, he has more of squiggly lines marking his fur and he looks and acts like a cat from the wild with his strong muscles and lean frame. He is a big chatterbox and has a low meow that will echo throughout the house so that we always know where he is.

So, there you have it. Three precious kittens that have now become cats. They are the best of my wild, intelligent, graceful, and beautiful Zoey with the charm, sensitivity, and sweetness of Dan’s Zee. They are incredible, fascinating, and wonderfully unique animals that continue to bring untold joy into our household. And you know what, yes, it’s true, they didn’t look anything like what we thought they would, but as fate would have it…. our boy, Kizmet….if I didn’t know better, I would swear he was the offspring of Zee and Zoey!!

Okay – now that I have given you that quick lesson, can you tell which one is Mia, Peanut, and Rolz in this picture of them napping??!!