Our Pets

The Cats...

This is Merlin. He is the first kitten to enter the Gerber household. When he came to live with us, we had a great dane and a long haired dachshund. So, growing up with dogs, Merlin didn't find out until much later that he was a cat. Even to this day, Merlin acts more like a puppy than a kitten. He got the name Merlin because his Master is a great fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and likes Gandolf, the magician. Merlin has the letter M on his forhead, so why not name the cat after the most famous magician of all! (How were we to know that all orange cats have Ms?? Remember, this was our first cat!!!)

Bitty Kitty sort of snuck into the house. Ami decided that she needed a kitten, 2 dogs and Merlin just weren't enough. Well, after spending 3 days hiding in Ami's room, Mom finally found out. Bitty had been born in an abandoned house and came to us complete with a huge case of fleas. Now, not only did Bitty have fleas, but the whole house did! Bitty didn't like water very much. Could be because she had flea baths all summer long that first year! At last, though, we conquered the flea problem, and Bitty was the reigning queen of the otherwise male pet family here. Unfortunately, Bitty developed cancer. We had surgery for her, but the cancer returned. Bitty crossed the Rainbow Bridge at Easter, 2002.

The Dogs...

As it is the way with life, our dane and dachshund have gone across the rainbow bridge. Shortly thereafter, MacGraw came to live with us. Mac, for short, is mostly yellow lab, and probably the smartest dog we have ever had. He is always ready to please and very quick to learn. Mac found that living with cats was not all bad and that they were great company when all the two-footed residents went off to school each day.

Although Bitty Kitty was supposed to be a house cat, of course, she got out one day. A few weeks later, we had 4 new kittens living with us. Bitty is not really a people cat, nor did she have much use for the dogs. That was until the kittens came. Bitty adopted Mac as her babysitter and would leave the kittens with him when she wanted to eat or have some rest! Fortunately, all the kittens went to good homes and Mac went back to being just a dog! The kitty in this picture went to Shannon's Mom.

Just recently, the mistress of the house inherited a hedgehog named Sonic. Mac and Amielia decided to check her out one day. Neither were too sure that this was the kind of pet that they could have a lot of fun with! Fortunately, Sonic spends most of her time at school and Mac doesn't have to babysit this pet as well!

Then, three years ago, the master of the house got his wish..another big dog. This time we got an Old English Mastiff, Frodo by name. You can read all about him on his very own homepage. Frodo has become playmate to Mac, nemesis to the cats, who have finally learned to ignore him, and all around house pony.

This is Frodo as a teen ager! It didn't take him long to grow up, but it has taken a couple years for him to fill out.

Our Visiting Friend...

When Frank decided to become a pet owner, he chose cats. This is Cadillac. He is the son of Bitty Kitty. "Caddie" has Bitty's soft, furry coat. After Frank and Morgan married, their cat population went up to 5!

So, there you have it! The family zoo! We all have great fun together, and would find life very dull, were it not for our four-legged friends. We hope you have enjoyed meeting them.