Gizmo, lovingly referred to as "The Witch" (although there were other words we used that rhyme), was the oldest feline in the family.  She was a wedding gift from Kristy's sister, Jo Ellen, and was born in July of 1984.  She was definitely James' cat.  A bad reaction to a vet's vaccination left her the smallest of our cats, weighing in at only 7 pounds, but she made up for it in attitude.  She followed us through two Air Force careers, three aircraft assignments, three states and six households.  She was our longest surviving cat to date and, after 19 very long years, passed away on June 2, 2003.

Wendy, was a kitten we barely had a chance to get to know.  She was our first "black" cat, and our only long-haired one.  She came into our lives in the summer of 1985, just prior to us going on a month-long vacation.  It was our absence, and lack of supervision, during this critical developmental period that made her a difficult cat to maintain.  She was often unsociable and untouchable.  After suffering substantial leg injury, she succumbed to complications from her recovery in the summer of 1986.

Lazlo, a.k.a. the "Wonder Wimp" .  He was born May 5, 1986 and was the biggest cat we ever had, tipping the scales at well over 20 pounds.  We acquired him from a field adjacent to the Saddle Club at Travis.  He was definitely Kristy's cat.  After 15 long years, he passed away on November 4, 2001, after spending a year "grooming" and passing "ownership" of Kristy over to Couter.

Tiggr entered our lives right after Lazlo joined us.  She was born on May 3, 1986, and rounded out the feline trio we had for over ten years before Sidny joined us.  She had a psychological pregnancy as Kristy was expecting David just as we had her spayed, and seemed to want to fill that empty void in her belly with food ... which she did with great success.  She led a very happy, food-filled life, but her obesity led to a shortened lifespan.  She passed away on October 19, 1998 at the age of 12.

Sidny, a.k.a. "Princess Sittin' Pretty" .  She was born April 11, 1997 and was our response to David's desire to get a dog (just not enough space in our cramped military quarters of the time).  She was always at his side when he went to sleep and there again when he woke up.  He was definitely "her" boy.  She took ill suddenly, without warning, on the morning of October 4, 2005, and succumbed quickly (without prolonged pain) to what the doctors determined was feline anemia.  The cause of the anemia was believed to be liver related.  She was only 8 years old.

Dusty came to us from our neighbors, when their "male" cat surprised everyone with a litter of kittens.  She was born on October 9, 1998, and was the fluffiest cat we had.  She was a very laid back cat and, even though she was the queen of the roost after Sidny's passing, she had no interest in ruling the pride.  Weaned too early, her most notable trait was sucking her paw.  She had a heart murmur since birth and passed away very suddenly on the evening of May 30, 2010.  We were all with her when she passed away.  Although saddened by her departure beyond belief, she was active and healthy right up to her final moments.  Her vet many years ago said she would be good to last a single year with her heart condition ... and she lived 12 long, happy years.  In the last year she took to sleeping on my pillow with me, and I shall miss that terribly.

'Couter short for accouterment (get your mind out of the gutter), was an abandoned kitten left out in the freezing weather that we coaxed into the house on November 8, 2000 (when we still didn't know who was going to be our next President).  We estimate she was born around mid-August.  Although we planned to find a good home for her, it appeared Dusty had decided she was going to stay.  Plus, she quickly adopted Kristy as her human, and it seemed Lazlo agreed to pass ownership over to her as his health failed.

Wimbush was born March 10, 2003, and we acquired him June 23rd (Diane's birthday) from a local pet store who could no longer sell him due to a paw injury.  Knowing he needed a good, loving family, we were the first they called ... and I had said that, after Gizmo's departure, we wouldn't get anymore cats until after I had retired from the Air Force.  He is named after another dearly lost companion from our English friend across the ocean (Alan).  Wimbush led a very good life, but he had problems with diabetes and "mega-colon".  Once he was placed on a strict medication and feeding regimen, his weight became more controlled and healthy.  In late February his appetite dropped to zero (as it did frequently).  However, this time there would be no recovery.  He went into renal shutdown late one evening (after the vet's office had closed) and he passed away early on the morning of February 22, 2013, before we were able to get him to the vet.  He was Kristy's special little guy and he will be missed.  

Smokey was rescued from Fort Mifflin on the night of October 23, 2004.  We guess we was just 6 weeks old, as he was not yet weaned.  The vet estimated his birthday around September 11, 2004.  His mother had a litter of five kittens, and kept them safe in a burned out wood pile in the artillery shed.  James rescued the dirty kitten, and all five were rescued and adopted on the spot by the "Ghoul Crew" of participants in the fort's annual Fright Fest Halloween program.  The wood they were hiding in was the remnants of the 169 year old timbers formerly making the Commandant's House in the center of the fort's grounds.

Bandit was our second annual rescue from Fort Mifflin in early November, 2005.  He was about 7 weeks old, as he was just weaned.  We estimated his birthday around early September, 2005.  His mother is the same as Smokey's, making them half brothers.  The name Bandit just popped up and seemed appropriate.  It wasn't until later the Kristy made the connection that we now had two brother cats: Smokey and the Bandit.

Gray Kitty walked into our lives in the summer of 2004, as we settled into our new home in Pennsylvania.  Apparently ferial and starving, Kristy's efforts to feed the cat kept her around, and she appointed herself head mouse/snake/varmint hunter for our property and surrounding houses.  She became a neighborhood fixture, and everyone knew where the "Gray Kitty" lived.  But roaming cats in the neighborhood became a problem and one of our neighbors put out a trap to catch the worst offender.  The only one he caught was Gray Kitty, and to get her back from animal control we had to bring her inside -- permanently.  Although she would much rather run, play and hunt outside, she is adapting to the "pampered" indoor life, and is slowly integrating in with the other cats.

KaywinnitLeeFrye (Kaylee) (it's a Browncoat thing) is the newest (and last) addition to our growing feline family.  As all of our current cats are rescues, Kaylee is no exception.  A friend of a friend had her show up on her property one day and, without claws, it was obvious she had been an indoor cat that either was abandoned or got out.  Signs put up in the area yielded no results, so a home had to be found.  We took her into our house to provide the love and care that her previous owners did not.  Although still adjusting to her new surroundings, we hope she finds a loving and safe home with us and our other cats.

Riley was a very unexpected Christmas gift.  He came into our house in Christmas Eve, 2009.  We estimate his birthday around September 22. 2009.  We were holding him for a friend, but she was ultimately unable to take him.  By then he had worked his way into our hearts and became the 8th feline member of our family.