This is Taffeta, my cat. I'm using this as the icon for my contribution to the "acro-name" collab, but Taf is no murderer. Yet...

"You dangle the string for me." "No, you dangle the string for me." "No, you dangle the string for ME!" "Damn it, where's our human?"

This tortie is a very shy cat. I not only got her to come out from hiding, but she stuck around for photos!

I've never tried it, but I'm pretty sure if I started chewing on my toes it wouldn't be adorable at all.

My friend fostered, then adopted, this cat from a no-kill shelter, but they kept an important detail from her. He had FIV (feline AIDS), which turned out to be the reason he was always coughing and sneezing. He was such a sweetie, would jump in your lap and purr, and sneeze all over you... and as you can see, he knew how to pose! I think here he looks downright professorial.

Happily, none of my friend's other cats contracted the disease.

Taf seems to be sharing a knowing glance with you here.

So I was using my laptop in bed, and got up, and came back to this. And yes, that is the computer I'm using right now. I thank you for your pity. ;)

Her name is Poplin, or Poppy. I call her Popsey. She's the softest cat you've ever met. She also has a unique ability—she can recognize the subject of a photo. I discovered this once when I was sitting next to another cat, Flannel, looking at cat photos. Poppy came in and for some reason I held up the photo I was looking at, which was of Flannel. Poppy looked in horror at the photo, then at Flannel, then at the photo, then at Flannel, then at the photo...and turned around and RAN out of the room. There were other similar occasions, like when she hissed at a photo of a cat.

My friend's cat, Simon the Zealot. I only met him once.

I know this isn't a great photo, but this cat would not hold still, so this was the best shot I got. She was a very young cat my friend found in a McDonald's parking lot (hence the name "Flurry"), only to discover the cat...was pregnant. And ended up needing a C-section. Only 3 of her 5 kittens survived, but they're all doing quite well.

This picture was taken early in Flurry's pregnancy, when she was still able to run around like a little hellion as kittens do.

Nah, this is Taf's look of exasperation. It means something like, "Put that camera away and leave me alone!"

Either that, or this particular contortion is not a comfortable sleeping position after all.

Julia needed to eat frequently; Frida was on a diet. So Julia and her food were kept isolated. She wants out, and Frida wants in—to eat Julia's food.