The Cats

These character sketches and caricatures have been taken from Sage's old web site, with her permission.

Anita
She's the kitty version of a 2 year old child, without the obnoxious personality traits that go along with two year olds. We adopted her with her sister from a non-euthanizing shelter, she is neurologically damaged and it affected her mentally, so she doesn't think very clearly, or reason well. If she goes into a room where no one else is, for example, she might forget completely to go out of the room to see where everyone else is and mew instead because she's afraid that everyone else has disappeared. She's a light-colored tortie. Otherwise known as Nee-Nee, Nee-Nee-Bird, Neens, and D'Neens. [Sage]
Note: by the time of the events recounted in Adventures in Valentime, Anita is a ghost and loving it.

Cilantro
She always smells like department store perfume -- not Macy's, but outrageously expensive stores, like Nordstroms. We have no idea why, but it fits her rather vain personality. Loves to be cuddled, as long as you're under her favorite brown blanket. She was found with her brother at a landfill, we adopted her through an ad in the paper. She has very long black hair, with reddish highlights and is absolutely huge. Otherwise known at Silly, Sleeeeeeeeee, and Silly-Silly-Antro. [Sage]
Note: shortly before the start of Adventures in Valentime, Cilantro emigrated to the spirit world, though she still deigns to come back for some company now and then.

Claire
She's a crabby old scowling thing who has nonetheless captured our hearts completely. She's Anita's sister, and is neurologically damaged physically instead of mentally. Which makes her extremely bright but almost unable to get around by herself. She can't manage stairs, which upsets her when I'm upstairs, and she meows to let me know about it. Like her sister, a tortie, but with very dark coloring. Otherwise known as Crabby, Crabby Scrawny Thing, Scrawn, Pile O'Scrawn, Horrid, and Clairey-Airey Scarey-Bearey. [Sage]
Note: Claire crabbily joined the ranks of the ghost cats before Adventures in Valentime.

Habanero
He's jolly, even-tempered, happy with whatever happens. Has never particularly liked people, but has warmed up to Todd and I in the past year or so. He's Cilantro's brother, and is black and white with white feet and two black toes. Otherwise known as L'il Guy, Mr. L'il Guy, Mister, 1/2 of "It's two boys!", and Monsieur La Poop-Poop. [Sage]

Harriet
She screeches to be petted, has a voice like Betty Davis would have if she could have smoked for another 10 years. We adopted her from a non-euthanizing shelter, she had a broken tail which the vet amputated the end of so as to avoid gangrene. She looks like a short-haired Persian cat, gray and fluffy. Otherwise known as Hair-Hair, Harrietapussycat, Yelley-Screechy, Rabid Plush Toy, Pudgie-Face, Harrieta Howly Howly Thing, and another name which has to be sung to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and is too long to list here. [Sage]

Jay
She's extremely macho; even vets who know that only 1% of all tortiseshell cats are boys have mistaken her for a male cat. She'd be a biker dyke if she could. Defends the other cats from evil things like trucks that make too much noise going by the house. She suckles on people's shirts because she didn't have her mommy when she was little. We adopted her at six months old from a euthanizing shelter to be a friend to Shelly. Also known as Birdie and Jay-Bird. [Sage]
Note: Jay is a ghost by the start of Adventures in Valentime, and is apparently making quite a splash in the afterlife.

Karma
He's very much the baby of the family and knows it. Something about his eyes makes him have a constantly worried and anxious look. We took him home when we found him at a pet store being sold as an unwanted kitten. He's a "holstein" cat, white with black splotches. Otherwise known as Doo, Karma-Doo, Mr. Doo, the other 1/2 of "It's two boys!", and Smudgy-Wudgems. [Sage]

Shelly
She's the quintessential British housekeeper, right out of Dickens. She keeps us all in line and mothers us along the way. We adopted her from a euthanizing shelter -- she was our first cat. She's black and white. Also known as Bear, Shelly-Bear, and That's Miss Bear To You. [Sage]