After losing our last cat, June Elizabeth Boone, to lung cancer earlier this year, we were hesitant to adopt another cat so soon. After about a month, we went to a cat adoption day at PetsMart. I, being the sucker, immediately saw the stressed-out giant 'Shorty' and fell hard!

Conversing with his handler was the deal-sealer. He had been adopted twice recently, only to be rejected by both new prospects for very silly reasons. As a result, the handler said, he had become a bit jaded. Since he was an older gent, about 4 years, I felt it was less likely he'd be adopted. His competition was a gaggle of uber-cute youngsters that obviously had no qualms about showing off for the crowd.

My wife was a bit annoyed that I had focused on 'Shorty' and wouldn't even consider the kittens at the next table. We began the adoption process, and within a short while we welcomed this oafish manx-tabby mix into our home. To our great joy, he turned out to be very sweet, happy-go-lucky, and extremely energetic!

At my wife's behest, we renamed him to 'Willie Nelson.' An explanation: My wife is a big Paul Rudd fan, and she thought it adorable that the name was attached to his character's dog in the movie "Our Idiot Brother." In an odd way, it kinda fits! Willie is a redhead with a short, stumpy tail.

After we had Willie for a bit, the cat rescue folks called with an urgent request. They had a cat whose owner had died, and apparently nobody knew about her 15 year old cat, who now was out on the street fending for herself. At time of discovery, Minni was near death, starving and dehydrated, and 'living' under a nearby dumpster.

After some stellar medical care, she needed a foster home in which to recover. We agreed to take her in. Less than a week later, she's made a remarkable recovery. She is a very sweet, friendly, diminutive tortoise-shell kitty. We are so glad to be able to help her out of her troubles and back from the brink.

I'll be posting pictures of both Willie and Minni to this gallery. Hopefully we will be able to give these two kitties the happy lives they both deserve.