Dude the cat and his roommates at Saylor Street Cottage

We have quite a few animals here at Saylor Street Cottage.  A dog named Chance who is getting old and doesn't get around very well.  He will be twelve years old this year.  He has had ACL surgery and has developed secondary arthritis but he still wags his tail when I come home, he still chases squirrels even though he knows he will never get them, still loves us unconditionally.  He's an old man who is set in his ways.  Even in his old age he will take the first opportunity to wander away from the yard which once landed him in doggie jail for the weekend.

 

We also have two cats.  Lilly and Dude.  Lilly is about 7 years old.  She is not a cuddly cat, tends to do her own thing and pretty much sleeps her day away under our bed or tucked somewhere in a quite place. 

This is a rare picture of the two of them together. Lilly usually has nothing to do with Dude because Dude is only a year old and wants to play rough.  Lilly has no patience for his shenanigans.  We declawed Lilly when we first got her but decided not to declaw Dude because he has occasionally escaped out the back door.  Lilly is scared to death of anything beyond the door.  The closest she wants to get to nature is the window sill.  Lilly is the grey, black and white tabby in this picture and Dude is the brown tabby curled up in an innocent little ball probably dreaming of ways to terrorize Lilly. 

 

Dude is a character.  He is so much more active than the senior animals.  His curiosity and personality make us laugh almost every day.  I love to photograph this little guy and he loves to ham it up for the camera.  If my animals could talk they'd tell me that Dude must be my favorite.  I don't have a favorite but little Dude certainly does captivate me. 

 

Last but not least we have a Gecko.  I do not have a picture, he's a bit camera shy.  Doesn't want his picture taken for fear of being used in a Geico commercial.  His name is Sammy Nella.  He got that name because someone told me they carry disease.  Sammy lives in a tank in my daughters room covered by a screen.  He is about 8 years old and if Dude had his way poor old Sammy would not see 9.  Yep, that sweet little face would gobble up that poor Gecko in a millisecond! 

 

Sometimes the animals at Saylor Street Cottage are the most rational of the whole family.