I didn’t wake up one day and decide I needed nine cats. Nobody needs nine cats. The process started with one cat and then grew to two cats. I guess you could say those two cats left big holes in my heart because as they aged and passed the cat population in my home mushroomed.

My husband extolled a theory of square footage per cat, sort of like fish per gallon of water in a fish tank. That theory kept our cat headcount at two when we lived in our old home, a 1200 square-foot townhouse-type structure. When we moved into a larger home and one of our two cats passed away, we started having a more fluid relationship with how many cats we could accommodate.

Taking on nine cats is not a rational decision. As our measured approach fell away, pure emotion took over. The process was both gradual and sudden, fits and spurts. In a matter of five years, we adopted nine cats (shelter cats, stray cats, and kittens born to a stray).

As with human beings, each cat displays its own personality. We delight in the variety of characters that share our home. We never lack for love to give and receive. Our laps are always warm and welcoming. Our bed is an obstacle course for sleep.

If you are here, I’m assuming you are a fellow cat lover. I want to share our stories with you. I hope you enjoy them.