Blended family
My Bride-To-Be has three babies, and she's never been married. But it's OK; all were legally adopted.
Mickey is a Pomeranian mix. She is red in the winter but goes blonde in the summer when she gets a buzz cut.
Petey is a beautiful but stupid purebred Persian. He is smoky gray and looks solemn, except when he is getting a good scratch. Then he suddenly stands on his head, flips over, and jumps up, ready to do it again. This is not a terribly useful skill in a back-alley territorial battle, so Petey is an indoor cat. (It also, unfortunately, means he's low man compared to the other two.)
Charlie is a cat of indeterminate age and parentage. He used to be quite successful in back-alley territorial battles, but he's retired to the indoors now.
When I talk to BTB, the cats and dog often enter the conversation. An odd scratching sound means Charlie has crawled up next to her ear and is rubbing the phone with his head. Loud purring soon follows.
Occasionally I'll hear a threatening growl. This means that either (A) our talking has annoyed Mickey in the midst of a nap, or (B) one of the cats has strayed into her line of sight.
This particular menagerie has personality that just won't quit. Petey's energetic headstands are almost enough for all three combined, but each has special features.
Mickey is either asleep or moving at full speed. Even when she walks, her legs are a blur. If you fail to pay enough attention to her, she doesn't bark or whine. She taps you on the hand with her paw.
Charlie is a Cool Cat. Mickey has a little squeak ball, which must be thrown 200 times if it's thrown once. One time it landed close to Charlie. Charlie reached out a paw, pulled the ball to his chest, and leaned back.
"So, do you feel lucky today — punk?" he seemed to ask.
I was afraid Mickey would end up with a lacerated nose, but she moved up slowly, took the ball in her mouth, and backed away. Charlie let her go, then curled up and went back to sleep.
I've been welcomed. With two humans in the room, Petey is far more likely to get a head scratch. For Mickey, it means someone else to tell her she's adorable. For Charlie, it's yet another carbon-based life form he can climb on during nap time, which is pretty much 24 hours a day.
Of course, I would marry Cheryl anyway. Liking her pets is just a bonus.
— MATT NEWHOUSE
