She was my first cat. I brought her home as a kitten about 2 months after Gena died in 1992. She died of kidney failure in July of 2008. Baby Blue was not very bright so she had to get by on her good looks. Smoogie was her biological mother, a relationship they both celebrated with open hostility.
She was the model for "Grits" in the story. Judy brought her home after she recovered from a losing encounter with a car on Atlanta Road where she had been the (Brawner) Hospital cat. She adored male visitors of the 2-legged variety. Smoogie died of kidney failure in January, 2009, but she took satisfaction in lasting a lot longer than Brawner Hospital did.
She is a Siamese mix that we got as a kitten from the humane society. She is our only semi-feral cat, having a low tolerance both for people and other cats. She is comfortable with Judy, though, and likes to sit right next to me when I am eating salmon.
We adopted him from the Good Mews shelter where Judy volunteers. He has more charm and personality than you can shake a stick at, and gets along with everyone.
He was adopted as a kitten by Judy as a companion for Smoogie who resented him at first until she recognized his value as an interactive cat toy. He and Judy were extremely close, and his sudden death at age 9 was tough to take.
The model for the Black Jack in the story, we adopted him as a kitten companion for Baby Blue a few weeks after she joined our family. He was a large handsome cat who was on the nervous side, and used to soothe himself with an endearing thumb-sucking ritual. He is proud to live on as a literary cat.
We adopted him as a kitten from the Good Mews shelter in East Cobb in June of 2009, along with his twin sister, Shanya Maidel. He is also known as Nascar, because his motor is always running.
Another very pretty little girl, she is the epitome of the curious cat, and is always in a good mood. She and Jackson enjoy watching TV, especially tennis or shows on Animal Planet.