For us grown kids, it’s always nice to have animals to greet you and keep you company when you visit your parents. But if it’s the animals you left behind when you go to college, now that’s something. During this 30 day challenge, I did mention about my parents animals briefly. So with this entry, I think it’s fair to talk more about them.

Smokey Sterling is the old man of the house, next to dad. At the age of 15, he remained the same cat as he was when we adopted him. He truly is a special and unique cat. He’s our first “adopt from a shelter” cat, first cat to live up to 15, and first polydactyl cat (he has thumbs). But what makes him different than the other cats we have is that he can meow on command. Just say his name and his “meh-meh” meow blurts out. When he was a kitten, I taught him how to meow on command starting with meowing at him to copy me, then responding to the word “meow” and then “Smokey” and now he can carry out a conversation with you with his broken meows. He is a lovable cat, he won my dad’s heart by being a lap kitty, and he’s pretty mellow. We’ve grown up together and I am happy to say that he has seen me finish grade school, start and finish middle school, high school, and college. So he get to see me in a cap and gown twice. Now that’s special.

Raven Shadow is our youngest cat and our first black cat. How she got her name was impressive. When I first saw her, I noticed a white spot on her chest. Remembering the characters from the book series Warriors, I named her Raven after Ravenpaw because Ravenpaw has the exact same coloring has Raven. at first mom and dad were like “let’s not name her yet.” Too bad, she has responded to that name from day one. She and Smokey got along since day one as well, which is amazing. Her personality is…interesting. She can be very skittish around me and anyone she sees as a stranger but can be all over mom and dad while working. With her being a black cat, hide and seek is a constant thing with my parents during dinner time.

Now that we got the cats down, let’s talk about them dawgs: Shiloh Penny and Kaiser Lee. They are both German Shepards, born from different breeders. Shiloh was a chicken chaser on a farm in Walla Walla WA while Kaiser was born near Tillamook OR. They are both long haired which is a recessive gene. How to tell the difference is this: Shiloh has both her ears up and she’s more blonde while Kaiser has ears too big to keep up and he’s more brunette. Personality wise they are different but the same. They are both loving and will give hugs when you’re having a bad day, but Shiloh is more sympathetic and can pick it up right off the bat. While Shiloh is more of a therapy dog, Kaiser is more of a guard dog. When Kaiser hears something he would bark, unlike Shiloh. How Shiloh got her name is when my parents were looking for a new dog after the sudden passing of out first GSD, they wanted a Shiloh Shepard. But due to whatever reason, price, size, energy, they chose not to go with the Shiloh Shepard. Kaiser, like Smokey, was a name we figured out as a family. And just like any other dog, Kaiser would chase the cats and Shiloh, not so much. Kaiser, from day one, is Shiloh’s shadow. And just like any other little brother, he picks on her.

Now the big question is which ones am I closest to? Smokey and Shiloh for sure. Smokey because we got him on Christmas Eve when I was still in grade school and grown up together. Shiloh because she somehow has imprinted on me and we spent alot of time together when she was a puppy. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of them.