Elaine was never really the same after Tundra’s death, and, surprisingly, neither was Mushroom. Elaine had been crushed when Tundra had changed, and now his breaking of her heart was complete. Elaine embraced the habit of pacing slowly through the …

By the time April and I were married and our daughter, Daisy, was two months old, Tundra had been our cat for over five years. One late autumn night he came home for the last time. The pupils of his …

Tundra and Mushroom were feline versions of aggressive and sometimes frightening people whom I’ve met and known in my life. Richie was one of these people. Richie was a friend of mine that I’d met in high school. He was …

I don’t know who in the neighborhood was responsible, but every six weeks or so, Tundra would come home with eyebrows or glasses drawn on him with a black permanent marker. His white fur was the perfect canvas. The glasses …

Take a peek at the Greek Riot Dog on the net. The rebellious hound hasn't missed a riot in years; he's nobody's bitch! This pooch has a mind of his own, and I'm a fan for life. Whether he's dodging …

I tried not to like Maynard. I tried to hold a grudge against him. Anything less, I felt,would be disloyal to Tundra and Elaine. April, and April alone, cared for Maynard. I refused to have anything to do with him. …

Portia and Jessica were good friends and they along with Ruthie were as thick as thieves. If you saw one you were almost guaranteed to see the other two. Ruthie was also a stylist at the PB hair salon. I …

Three years after Tundra moved in, Portia asked April if she could leave her pet ferret, Maynard, with us for a few months until she could get her living situation straightened out. Portia also worked at the hair salon in …

The Rhinoceros snorted through its great dark nostrils and slowly shook its gnarled head this way and that. Its immense tank-like body tense with indecision, the Rhino met the girl’s gaze. She, a mere five feet away, looked into the …

I hate washing dishes. And I’ll bet that’s what hell is too, doing whatever it is you hate the most, forever. Probably every time I finished washing a huge countertop of dishes and thought to myself: Well, “that’s” done, now …

"Hey, nice marmot."

When I hear someone say, "Jesus H. Christ," I always wonder what the "H" stands for. Probably hippie.

The picnic table remained Mushroom’s most revered spot in our yard, so, naturally, it became Tundra’s too. At first, I thought it was just a nice place for them to soak up the sun’s rays, but this wasn’t the case. …

In OB, Sam only picked up one new sound that I was aware of. On foggy nights, the foghorns sounded automatically (I’m not sure where they’re located). We were two blocks from the beach, and not until one foggy night …

When April and I had first moved into the house on Bacon Street, my best friend and ex-housemate, Allan, stayed in our spare bedroom for a year. Allan brought Sam with him. Sam lived in the corner at the top …

Tundra had also taken up hunting. And he was very good at it. Many mornings I opened our front door to find gifts from him on our front porch: eviscerated mice, gophers, lizards, and birds, many, many birds. But no …

Tundra’s conduct regarding April and me, and people in general, remained about the same as it always had. If you ask me, although I am a cat enthusiast, I believe cats can take us or leave us. If they could …

Tundra changed in many ways over that first year with Mushroom. His new roaming territory had expanded greatly and now included several square blocks in any direction. Many times I saw him prowling the sidewalks, lacing a track in and …

On Thursday, five days ago, Chelsea King, a 17-year-old girl went missing in my community. Thousands of volunteers searched for her in the remote area where she liked to run on the winding hiking trails. Today her body was discovered …

A year passed and they were still at it. Tundra and Mushroom fought on practically a daily basis. But now Tundra was just as capable a fighter as Mushroom. Mushroom had taught him everything he knew. This was about the …