The ones who cost the most

Whenever I do an indoor shoot and set up light - Charlie always comes to help. He is very happy to sit still right where I need him and he stays until I am satisfied that my light is set perfectly.

Of'course I praise him for his help and this seems to instantly draw a curious (cat) crowd. 

My business partner helped this time to get Shae to stand, so that we could 

send Maggie a photo of him (she misses him terribly) and since

 we were getting Charlie, Shae & Sprout pics - we 

grabbed Ruby for a shot too. 

Ridiculous, I know. 

Don't judge.

Charlie
(Charles Xavier Barker Brown - Wright)
Charles Xavier - X men
Barker because he might be the Love child of me and model Nigel Barker
Brown because Tommy liked Charlie Brown

Charlie is honestly the best boy ever. He is obedient and sweet and most certainly epitomizes the term, Mans Best Friend.  He doesn't shed - he is adorable - his sole purpose is to please and give affection - he is perfect!
For real - just ask anyone who knows him!

Shae
or Shae-ba
or Pooty because he farted a lot as a kitten
He answer to all of them. Tommy calls him Cow - Shae chooses to ignore that particular insult.
We chose his name because his breed is Manx - from the isle of Man - if he were human, he would speak Gaelic - Shae is a common Gaelic name.
Seriously - don't judge.

Shae is not much for human affection. In fact, he will take your hand off if you aren't very cautious! He loves Maggie only. He respects Tommy and he tolerates me only because I am his primary caregiver. He hates Tim with  burning passion!
As he gets older (8 yrs. old now - and battling thyroid disease) he is becoming more mellow… or at least thats what he wants us to think. I know better than to lower my guard.

Sprout
or Kitten.
She wandered up to our house as a tiny baby on a night when we were headed to dinner at PF Changs.
The lucky word on the back of the fortune paper was Sprout - simple as that.
She is a very loving lap cat who thinks Tim is her boy. She sleeps with him at night and craves any attention he will give her.  Don't be fooled though - she is also a brutal, skilled killer! 

Ruby Rocket
because of the red racing stripes on her neck.
She came from a local lake. She was floating on some gross sludge with other turtles. They all quickly swam away, but she was not scared and ended up living with Maggie. She was the size of a quarter with a bright green shell - now she is huge and the most friendly turtle Ive ever seen. She loves to get attention and walk around the room with people. If we come in the room, she swim to the surface and slaps the water until we pay attention. She is hand fed and thus, can probably never live in a lake or pond again. Her 'no fear' attitude would likely get her killed.
We have had to upgrade her living arrangements several times because of her growth - She is in a huge tank now, but will soon have a mini pond and enclosure in the back yard. She is expected to grow to about 14'' in diameter!
Ruby is sweet, but very very expensive. If I had only known…