We moved to West Virginia in 1991 with three cat buddies, Snowy and Socks who came to us in 1979 and Friend who appeared on our doorstep some years later. Friend died in 1993 and six months later Winstanley appeared, starving, out of the woods. We eventually found that she didnt get along with other cats so she has led a life apart. Snowy died in 1994 and later that year we came upon Viva, who had been hit by a car, in the middle of River Road. Not able to find her humans we adopted the injured but resilient Viva. She was a good buddy for Socks who sorely missed her sister Snowy. Socks died in 2000 and is still missed terribly for her wisdom and humor. Bobo came to us as a kitten shortly after to be a buddy for Viva. He proved a bit much for all of us. Luckily, Rafine wandered out of the woods to stay with us and help raise the kitten.
Kitty Boy wandered out of the woods in 2009 after being shot and immediately became friends with Bobo. We took Kitty Boy to the vet and they had to amputate his right front leg but he gets along fine. In 2010 we fostered two kittens and later took in their mom and their sister. Storm joined our household after them. Bobo died in 2011 and is sorely missed. Mama Cat died in 2014 and Storm died in 2016. Our current household cats are Kitty Boy, Grey (Kitty Boy's constant companion), Blondie, and Peach Blossom.
Snowy looks so thin in this picture (George called her his cinder block cat). She was a shy odd-eyed white who loved the woods and her special sleeping nooks under the trees and on logs.
Socks was a wise matriarch who loved cheese with a passion. As she grew older she spent more and more time on Georges lap.
There are some pictures of Socks Frog Pond.
Friend appeared one day, half-starved under a burdock leaf. She was much older than Snowy and Socks and loved Mollys lap where she lay chewing the edge of Mollys sweater.
Winstanley our little digger cat was frightened by other cats and so was aggressive. She enjoyed her shack and prowling at night. Winstanley passed away in winter of 2010.
Viva was so good-natured. When we found her and took her to the vet she purred in Georges lap, even with a broken pelvis and other injuries. She recovered and romped and played in the yard. She was another cinder block cat like Snowy. Viva passed away in January 2009 and is sorely missed.
Bobo was Bobo. He hardly sat still all day long, he loved the woods and ventured far. He slept well each night and was eager to go out again each morning. He liked popcorn, crackers and other good foods.
See Bobo in the bushes. Bobo passed away in 2011.
Rafine had a dislocated hip when he came to us. He still prowled the yard constantly. He was better a year later, a good diet had helped a lot but then he started to have new problems and died the spring of 2002. He was a good buddy for young Bobo.
Mister Kitty Boy joined us in May 2009. When he came to us from the woods, Kitty Boy had been shot by someone. He had to lose a leg but that has hardly slowed him down. There is a post on our blog that shows him outside 10 days after his surgery. Kitty Boy and Bobo are the best of friends and are not usually far from one another.
In May 2010 a feral cat abandoned two kittens. A blog post describes this and our bottle feeding of the little tykes. New pages in the Cats section are devoted to the kittens.
Autumn 2010 we captured the feral mother cat and the third kitten. Mama Cat is a sweetheart and, once her fearfulness ebbed, fit right in our household. She loves Kitty Boy and follows him around everywhere. Mama Cat died in Autumn 2014.
Peach Blossom is the third kitten. She was raised in the wild by Mama Cat and still has a number of feral characteristics, including not liking being held at all. She's active but stays indoors because she's not been spayed yet.
Storm came to us from Daria and her wife, Jeannene. She just didn't seem to fit in with their cats. She's taken a while fitting in with ours but was definitely one of the gang before she died in 2016.
This section of the website is devoted to Cats (with a big "C")!
A page with photos of all the cat buddies we've had here over the years.
Living Off the Grid
A description of what we do in order to live without electricity and running water.
Making a Living
Cats
is a quick look at some of our cat buddies over the years.
Buildings
Photographs of the Shack, Shop and House as they were built.
The Christmas Truck
Molly wrote this story in 2000.
The Mystery Jar
We take a look at the Mystery Jar, is the label or the contents more important?