Penny came into our lives in October of 1996. She was a stray that most definitely adopted us. We were living in an apartment complex which didn't allow pets, but her tiny cries won us over. She looked to be about 9 months old, and had a kitten cry, and she was very hungry. We found out, only after taking her to the vet for tummy trouble, that she was probably 2 years old, and the kitten food we'd been feeding her was too rich a diet. The 'kitten cry' we heard was just one of her many vocal sounds to manipulate us!

Penny is a cat devoted to food. There isn't anything this cat won't do to fill her belly. She has eaten everything from spaghetti sauce to fajita onions. It's not so much what she eats (which is almost anything she can get her paws on), but the manner in which she gets them. She is certainly not dainty! During a Super Bowl party, she pulled a Buffalo Wing off my plate, and another time, reached into a gallon carton of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish to pull herself out a fishy! That goldfish never touched the ground ... she pulled it right up the carton into her mouth!

If she's bad about food, however, she's horrendous when it comes to milk. A glass of milk cannot be left unattended in our home. Penny attacks it with the ferocity of a jungle cat. Here's a picture of her when we caught it on film.
 

Phoebe is no better.  Here they are begging dinner from daddy, who swore when I met him that he didn't like cats. You should hear him talk to his little angels now.

We adopted little Phoebe strictly as a friend for Penny, who seemed to be very sad when we left her for work every day. Although Penny wasn't crazy about Phoebe right at first, now they are the best of friends. Phoebe is an absolute joy. She is certainly a handful, as most kittens are, but she more than makes up for the trouble she makes with love, affection, and plain ol' cuteness. One of her favorite activities is playing in water. She hops in the tub after we shower, she pulls their water dish around (we are still looking for a bowl too heavy for her to drag), and she drops her toys into their water bowl. She has even dropped her toys into our drinks when we are enjoying them in the living room.

Penny and Phoebe have also taught us a great deal about sibling rivalry. I know it sounds crazy, but these two cats have some sibling rivalry issues. Phoebe can't stand it when Penny is getting attention and she is not. (Of course it's okay if SHE gets attention while Penny is alone!)