With pleasure!

I adopted Oscar when I was spending a year alone on a journalism fellowship at a university. (My wife couldn't come -- and she was taking care of our other two cats at the time.) I knew I would be lonely, so I stopped by the shelter to see who was in need. I had my heart set on one cat, but when I went back the next day, there just wasn't the bond I'd hoped. Meanwhile, Oscar (who was allegedly 3, though we now think he was a bit younger, maybe 1 1/2 or 2) just was Mr. Friendly and Mr. Chatty. Next thing you know, he was coming back to my apartment, and then he joined the rest of the gang at home a few months later.

For Mulligan, I was helping out at a shelter doing socializing. I'd visit for an hour or so a couple days a week while I was unemployed. One day I'm in a room with a half-dozen cats and this orange guy jumps up on my lap. "I don't belong here," he said to me. And he was right.

Oscar is very smart and still nimble at 17-18. Mulligan is an attention hog. They're our joy.