About two weeks after Kira passed, I received a call about a cat with a severe facial wound outside of Joy Soup Kitchen. While attempting to catch him, we came across a lovely couple who had been giving him antibiotics. Those medications held him over the Christmas holiday until he could be seen by a vet. We named him Harrison after Harrison Ford, as he looked like the grizzled version of my parents’ tuxedo, Indiana Jones. During his vet visit we found out he was FIV+, covered in fleas, completely toothless, and had some gastrointestinal complications as a result of being immunocompromised — all in addition to the massive facial wound! Though it wouldn’t have been an inappropriate decision to humanely euthanize him, we saw that he was obviously a fighter and we wanted to follow his lead. We were able to get in touch with the wonderful folks at Joy Soup Kitchen and learned that he was a beloved kitty known as Chili who had made his home around there and was a favorite of everyone who saw him. After a long life bringing so much joy to others, he thoroughly enjoyed retirement in the Critter Room alongside Buns until he eventually passed from cancer. He left a very precious mark on all our hearts, human and bunny alike.

Namesake: The soup that brings everyone together and the grizzled actor of Star Wars and Indiana Jones fame.

Best friend: Buns. As an FIV+ kitty he was kept separate from the other cats, but he enjoyed her so much he even climbed the gate I had separating them just to visit her! She loved him right back and taught him how to use a litter box!

Favorite thing: His nightly Delectable squeeze tube.

Best quirk: His creaky door meow!

Kira was our first resident and was adopted one day before I drove cross-country. I got to know her while volunteering at the shelter I later worked at, and I asked to bring her home as she was severely shut down in a shelter environment (I can’t even look at the pictures I took of her when she was there). Kira blossomed once she was in a home, and she ended up being my road trip buddy for several weeks. She had a wonderfully adventurous spirit and the tiniest squeak of a meow. Kira was a wonderful example of how important it is to not judge a book by its cover when looking for your new best friend in a shelter! Kira passed in 2023 after a long battle with gastrointestinal issues that developed into stomach cancer. She was a special one!

Namesake: Olivia Newton-John’s character from Xanadu.

Best friend: While she was more of a people cat, she always loved the comforting presence of older male cats.

Favorite thing: Curling up next to my head at night.

Best quirk: Though she suffered from RBF most of the time, she could act the most kittenish of anyone and drooled when she was happy!

Shortly after Leo’s passing, I ran into a neighbor with a microsanctuary of her own at the grocery store. I mentioned I had recently lost Leo, and she told me about an older male cat she had rescued off the street who was looking for a home. Missing the presence of a senior boy, I took him home. As an older gentleman O’Malley preferred the quiet of the critter room to the hustle and bustle of the rest of the house. O’Malley went blind towards the end of his life, but thankfully he had the critter room mapped out in his head and was still able to make his rounds. In 2022 he collapsed due to a blood clot and after consulting with our vet, we knew it was time.

Namesake: Thomas O’Malley from The Aristocats.

Best friend: He loved spending time with both Kira, who was closer in age to him, and Buns, who I think really amused him.

Favorite thing: Climbing up to hug you and fall asleep on your shoulder.

Cutest quirk: He had one of the loudest meows in the house, so I’d put him in the critter room while I was on work calls. However, sometimes he woke up and would call for me, which clients would often hear before I had a chance to mute my microphone. Every time they did, it ended up being a perfect break in tension or a much-needed bright spot.

Adopted from the same home as Rosie, Sam, and Ellie, Leo’s previous owner contacted me about a severe leg injury and agreed to release him so that I could transport him to a veterinarian and have him humanely euthanized. After an exam, we were thrilled to discover that Leo was much younger than believed and his injury was not life-threatening. His leg did eventually need to be amputated due to cancer, and unfortunately a few months later we discovered his cancer had likely metastasized. Though we only had months together, Leo has a particularly special place in my heart.

Namesake: Leo McGarry from The West Wing.

Best friend: He was sweet to everyone but especially loved Kira, who was close to his age.

Favorite thing: Grooming and headbutting you.

Cutest quirk: He knew all his cues to meow along to the “If you’re happy and you know it” song.

Charlie was the first of Sassy’s litter to be born while I was fostering her. My family often visited the kittens while they were growing up, and it was no surprise that my parents fell in love with Charlie and his sister Matilda. They made it official as soon as they could. I love the fact that I can go visit them whenever I want and watch them grow into adulthood.

Namesake: Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Best friend: His sister Matilda and his housemate, an older calico named Caroline. He likes her quite a bit more than she likes him!

Favorite thing: Curling up with my mom at night.

Cutest quirk: He’s a very polite boy and waits nicely for older cats to be finished with their food before licking the last bits off their dishes!

Tommy and his sister Izzi were born one after the other to my foster cat Sassy. Lovingly known as the Tux Twins, they were bonded from the start and were quickly adopted by my brother, who has loved tuxedos since he rescued a hungry tux off the street. Tommy was the slowest to develop both motor skills and (we say, jokingly) a personality. But when he caught up, he became a force of nature! Tommy is sweet and gentle but fiercely protective of his loved ones. To know Tommy is to love him!

Namesake: Tommy from the 2006 film The Fountain.

Best friend: His sister Izzi!

Favorite thing: Soft blankets.

Cutest quirk: Tommy learned a lot from my brother’s older tuxedo cat Arkyn, who he was the spitting image of. After Arkyn passed, Tommy took over the “man of the house” role and looks out for both his biological and adopted sisters!

If Tommy didn’t seem to have much of a personality as a young kitten, perhaps it was because his twin sister took it all. Izzi has always been a wild troublemaker who thankfully is so cute and affectionate she’s easy to forgive!

Namesake: Izzi from the 2006 film “The Fountain.”

Best friend: Her twin brother Tommy!

Favorite thing: Being a problem. But other than that, sitting on the patio table outside and enjoying the fact that she gets (supervised!) outside time just like the dogs.

Cutest quirk: Izzi has the exact same body type and spicy-sweet personality as her mom. If you close your eyes and pet her, you’d barely be able to tell the difference!

Matilda, or Mattie as she’s usually called, was the fourth and final kitten born to Sassy while she was in foster. Mattie and her brother Charlie joined my parents’ family after they fell in love with them as tiny kittens, and she’s grown up to be a beautiful, cuddly girl!

Namesake: Matilda from the Roald Dahl book.

Best friend: Her brother Charlie!

Favorite thing: Snuggling with my dad while Charlie curls up with my mom. He’s a mama’s boy and she’s a daddy’s girl!

Cutest quirk: The fur on her chin grows to a point so she has a bit of a billy goat beard. I may or may not baa to her whenever I see her.

This already-established trio came to live in the critter room as slightly older mice. Though we didn’t have a ton of time together, they all loved one another very much and had similar personalities to the mice I had as a child, so I was very grateful for the time I had with them!

Namesakes: The Brontë sisters.

Best friends: One another! Charlotte and Annie played the most together, and Emily was the snuggler.

Favorite thing: Strawberries!

Cutest quirk: They were all adventurous spirits and loved playing in mazes I made out of boxes — Charlotte even learned how to come when called and cross bridges and climb ladders to get to you!

Steve was a special little guy who unfortunately was poorly bred and kept, so despite treatment and advice from herpetological experts, he never managed to recover. Though his passing was heartbreaking, especially given his sweet and friendly personality, all the supplies I had acquired for his care were able to be put to almost immediate use when Howie the corn snake needed a place to live.

Namesake: Stephen Tatlock, a joke from the show Would I Lie to You.

Best friend: Himself, as ball pythons are solitary animals.

Favorite thing: Climbing!

Cutest quirk: The ability to make even someone with a phobia of snakes melt at the sight of his cute face!

While attempting to nurse Steve the ball python back to health, part of his recommended treatment protocol was to introduce the scent of live mice while attempting to feed him f/t food. The mice were never aware of Steve’s presence in the house and were a delightful addition to the critter room. Like the Brontë sisters, each had their own distinct personality and were industrious and gentle. It was always exciting to see what new floor plans they had constructed during the night using all their enrichment tools!

Namesakes: Because they all had soft and sweet colorings, including a black and white one (Bessie), all had names that would fit a pet cow (Maisie is pictured).

Best friends: Each other! Dottie was the only one who preferred to be on her own as she had a history of attacking both other mice and humans. It was a slow and steady process of gaining her trust, but it did happen, and she ended up being the best little buddy!

Favorite thing: Building new tunnels and nests every night.

Cutest quirk: Each mouse was adopted in pairs or to join a single mouse after their partner had passed as most mice shouldn’t be housed alone. As a result, they all learned from one another and picked up each other’s patterns in a multigenerational way. It was an incredibly special thing to watch!

While at our vet’s office, I saw a pair of zebra finches sitting on the counter. I learned that a staff member’s parents had fallen on hard times and needed to rehome their animals. I’d had zebra finches growing up and always had a special place in my heart for them, so it only felt right to bring them home!

Namesakes: The Billy Joel song Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.

Best friend: One another, as they were a longtime mated pair.

Favorite thing: Foraging and cuddling together.

Cutest quirk: They followed one another everywhere and were so good about hopping together between cages when it was cleaning time.

A few years ago my parents discovered nests of over a dozen baby field mice in their garage who had been driven out of their habitat by construction in the neighborhood. I picked them up and brought them back to my house, where they spent about two weeks growing stronger and better able to fend for themselves (under strict quarantine to protect myself and the other residents from disease). Once they were ready, they were released in a rural area away from humans.

Namesake: They were affectionately all named after spices — Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cayenne, etc. — as I made sure to minimally handle them to keep them wild, and as a result they all had confidently spicy attitudes!

Best friends: One another!

Favorite thing: Millet.

Cutest quirk: They all loved the same tunnels, wheels, and other enrichment as any pet mouse, and slept cuddled together just like their pet counterparts.