Each of the cats has their own Catster page where I wrote a short biography for each of them. I thought it would be nice to do a short profile on each cat here since I sometimes receive questions about each of them and how they entered our family.

Jake was adopted from a rescue organization in Los Angeles called Animal Match Rescue Team (www.AMRT.net) I saw Jake’s photo on Petfinder.com. His parents were moving and didn’t want to take him along. They had a new baby too so I guess it was getting to be “too much”. Jake’s adoption was what they call a courtesy listing adoption. I adopted Jake directly from his previous family but he was posted online with the help of a rescue organization. From the minute I set my eyes on Jake I was in love. Jake tried hard to be charming and cute when I first went to visit him. He was a little overweight at the time (18+ lbs.!!), depressed and in desperate need of brushing, love and attention. He spent most of his time in a hallway where his litter box was setup right next to his food and he played with Hershey Kisses (not so safe for cats eh?) and shoe strings. I went to visit him on a Wed. and returned on Sat. to bring him home with me to the Manhattan Beach. For the entire first week he was with us Jake hid behind a bookcase. He had never been out of his old parents’ apartment for 7 years! He was a very scared and timid cat. I saw the diamond in the rough with him though and now he’s one of the most handsome cats around town! Jake is the smartest cat I’ve ever known. There’s absolutely no fooling him. I have an especially close bond with Jake. He’s definitely a momma’s boy but he’s grown to appreciate his daddy was well. His relationship with mommy is very very special though. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of human/cat relationship. With the help of his brother Micah, Jake came out of his shell even more to become a self assured and unbelievably, a dominant cat in our house.

Jake found his best friend, brother and soul mate in Micah. We adopted Micah 3 years after adopting Jake. It took me that long to find him the perfect friend. The time they had together was special for all of us. It’s a moment in time that we’ll never have again but lives on in my memory. It’s still hard but every day there are less tears and more smiles as I think back to that time we all had together.

Jake was diagnosed with stage 2 CRF on Oct 3, 2008. We have been taking him to a specialist here in L.A. who is monitoring his condition. Jake goes for a checkup every 3 months. We hope to slow the progression of Jake’s disease with a special diet, medication and daily sub-Q fluids. We’re not sure how much more time Jake has on this earth but we’re going to take advantage of every precious moment we have with him! Jake had a little bit of a tough patch in Feb. but he seems to be pulling out of it and bouncing back to his old self. He’s gone back to eating with his brother and sister and picking on them too. I think the sunny pleasant weather is definitely helping to elevate his energy and mood.

** On Aug. 9, 2009 Jake the original inspiration for Jake & Micah succumbed to his 10 month battle with renal failure. My heart truly broke on that day. However a month later to the day, Jake sent us Micky a new love who has brought sunshine back into our lives again especially mine.