Cast of Characters

Claudia appeared one day as a black-and-white flash in
the nearby bushes. She took a while to decide whether we were okay or not, but once she came to her decision she never looked back. She’s sociable, playful, and keeps Nigel in line. We found out later that she had in fact emigrated from the farm next door. Over there, the food supply is shared with a much larger number of cats - clearly she realized that bossing only one other cat around was a lot less work.

At mealtimes, Claudia is capable of the longest sustained meow I have ever heard.

Found as a miniscule kitten on the highway while on a road trip in South Dakota, Nigel is a shrewd, clever, and extremely interesting cat. How clever? After he let himself in (and the dogs out) twice, we replaced the front door handle with one of those keypad lock ones. And then didn’t tell him the code.

Clearly from a long line of feral felines, Nigel would likely be significantly less sociable had he not been half-starved and then syringe-fed. He didn’t ever really adjust to being a house cat, though - he’s much happier outside. Although spending several days cuddled in my shirt in the car as he recovered does mean that he is quite attached to me.

Ferris is a Winnipeg Humane Society kitty. He is a laid-back house cat, friendly and trouble-free - except at 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., cat mealtimes at SCR. His feline superpower is to stick close to any person who is ill or sad, and in a strong-silent-type fashion, make them feel better through his comforting, plush-velvet presence.

When you hug him, he makes The Face; he also purrs every time.

Although Luna is the most recent addition to SCR, she fits in like she’s always lived here. Also from the Winnipeg Humane Society, she is one of those rare cats that just loves people - sitting in laps, perching on shoulders, and rubbing her face on yours.

In fact, she’s in my lap right now.

Dallas is another roadside find, this time on the side of a major freeway just north of, yes, Dallas. Based on x-rays, the vet that set her broken leg thought she’d likely been there for about two days.

She’s sweet and wiggly and doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. And I love her like crazy but honestly, she is just not that bright. But hey, at least she’s not one of those super-intelligent breeds that wreaks havoc out of boredom, right? (Edit: we lost Dallas in October 2009. She had been diagnosed with spondylosis and was experiencing severe pain and loss of mobility. We all miss her.)

I bought Midnight as my riding horse in May 2008. She is a Quarter Horse, 12 years old with a gentle temperament and a highly curious nature. This photo, despite the ridiculous coating of snow, accurately captures her typically interested expression. She’s the pasture troublemaker, inciting games and alternately flirting and bossing, depending on what she thinks she can get away with.

Midnight came with her name. She knows it though, so it didn’t seem right to change it. That said, it’s a pretty stupid name. As one friend put it, “you’re living every 12-year-old’s dream! A black horse named Midnight! Are you having adventures? Solving mysteries??”

Well, maybe.

Kahlua is Jay’s riding horse, and boss mare. She’s smart and strong and fearless and hardworking, not unlike Jay himself. Always the confident leader on a trail ride, we’ve almost never seen this horse tired out, and her acceleration from a standing stop is amazing. Flame may be a bit faster over distance, but she beats him out of the gate every time. One day, I have to get that on video.

Flame is our pasture ornament and general eye candy. A Thoroughbred with a racing tattoo and supposed extensive dressage retraining, he came to us as retired. His current job is looking good, eating cookies, goofing around with the mares, and looking good. He never misses a day of work, and everyone loves him. 

Cloudy is a friend’s horse; he’s good-natured and has very striking markings, in addition to being fairly unflappable.He’s also the easiest keeper EVER. Every now and then I see a skinny draft horse on a rescue site, and I wonder just how much neglect that would take, because Cloudy is 1/4 heavy horse and I swear, he would gain weight in a dry lot. One that was also paved. I think I’m his least favourite person since I’m mostly the one chasing him to strap on his grazing muzzle, and when the grass is even half decent he maintains his weight just fine wearing the thing almost 24 hours a day.

This is a mediocre photo of a wonderful horse. Penny is our senior citizen, about 32 years old, still in good shape and with plenty of energy for her age. She still provides pony rides for younger visitors and loves the attention and treats that come with that very important job.