Just as an fyi, Pug got off to a rough start in life. A few years ago some friends and I were "birding" a remote area late one March afternoon. It was fairly cold; the wind was blowing, raining lightly, and becoming quite miserable. As we approached a bridge over a stream a little white long-haired kitten emerged from a nearby storm drain. The poor little thing was wet, full of brambles, and scared. Nonetheless, it followed after us mewing for attention. The guys I was with shared disparaging comments about cats (even though they all owned at least one) as this pitiful little kitten apprehensively followed us pleading for help. There was something about the kitten that indicated that it was not only NOT a feral cat, but a strictly indoor vs. outside cat. Reluctantly I left the kitten where it was and returned home to tell my wife about it. Still concerned about the kitten the next morning, my wife suggested that I go see if it was still living in the storm drain and rescue it. So, I went and rescued the kitten and brought it home.

When I got the kitten home we kept it in a carrier, fed it (poor thing was about starved), and removed the brambles and burrs as best we could from the tangled knots of long hair. The kitten purred loudly the entire time. When we checked it for injuries we found there was something seriously wrong with its left eye. So, we took it to our veterinarian, got it the shots it needed, learned that it had heavy drainage and a yeast-like infection in the eyes, and that its retina was detached probably due to head trauma. He was therefore blind in the left eye. The vet also informed us that the kitten was about 6 months old and a male pure-bred Blue-Point Himalayan. Wow! What a surprise that was! Apparently the little fella was the runt of his litter, had this chronic eye infection common in Persians and Himalayans, and was probably dumped in "no man's land" by a breeder who didn't want it because it couldn't be sold or bred. It's hard to say for sure how its eye was injured...

Anyway, at a loss for names; we decided to call the kitten Pug because he has a flat "pug" face, and welcomed him into our family. It's said that one man's trash is another man's treasure. That certainly is true of Pug. He is the sweetest most adorable little cat you'd ever meet. At just 8 lbs. Pug just exudes charisma and is very photogenic. This gallery includes a few fun photos of Pug and his adopted brother and sister. Enjoy...

On a sad note, Pug passed away in November 2011 from congestive heart failure. He was only 7 years old. Although he suffered from a variety of lifelong illneses, Pug epitomized courage and beauty of spirit. His paw prints are on the hearts of all who knew him. All cats go to heaven...