Now, I have three cats, and I'm crazy about each of them, but my oldest, a regal Russian Blue, has a special place in my heart. He is the eldest, and certainly 'top cat' in the 'pecking order' of my 'kids', but so much more: sweet, affectionate, caring, and very funny, he is my best friend! Let me share a little about my Gray...

I arrived in Las Vegas four-and-a-half years ago, with my brown tabby, Candy. She was a wonderful cat, but had always been an outdoor kitty, so when I moved into a third-floor apartment, and tried to train her to become an indoor one, she was miserable...and ran away, after a month. After weeks of fruitless searches, I resigned myself to the fact that she wasn't returning, and went to the local shelter to find a new cat...well, two, actually, as I felt, with my long work hours, two could keep each other company while I was away.

Finding one cat was easy; a tiny Calico (with an eye infection) attached herself to me, when I arrived, and made it known I was 'hers'. Who was I to disagree? Naming her 'Popeye', (shortened to 'Pi' when her eye healed, and I realized her gender), she became my first choice. I wanted a Russian Blue for the second cat, and the shelter had two; one fled when I got close, but the second allowed me to sit beside it, laying a paw on my leg! Unaware that the cat was male, I named it 'Gracie', and it became my second cat...and, when I discovered 'she' was a 'he', his name became 'Gray'.

Gray is a classic 'Blue' in every way: Well-muscled under sleek silver fur, with soft green eyes, he was as big as a medium-sized dog, and moved with a dancer's grace. But while Pi was outgoing and my 'hostess', greeting everyone who knocked on my door, Grey was, and is, very shy, totally devoted to me, but quick to hide whenever I would have company. Even unfamiliar cats received this treatment. When I adopted a third cat, a Siamese/Tabby kitten, about to be 'put down', it took weeks before Gray would play with him...although today, Gray and Kit are bosom buddies, wrestling and chasing each other, constantly!

There are so many reasons why Gray is my favorite...he curls up next to me, on my pillow, when I go to bed, and will stroke my cheek with his paw, until I doze off. He never asserts himself, at mealtimes, allowing me to feed the other cats before eating, himself. He's designated several spots as 'ours' (such as the top of the refrigerator), and positions himself in one, whenever I enter a room, so we can share 'quality cuddle time'. He will hide in cabinets and drawers, for nap privacy, popping out like a shot if I call his name. As I'm an artist who makes his living drawing faces, I occasionally use all my cats as models, and Gray will sit, patiently, cocking his head and looking soulfully at me when I draw him! He even 'lectures' me, loudly, if I stay up too late. You gotta love him!

I'm very proud that Gray is a 'cover kitty'... he is far, far more than "just a cat" to me!

Ben Burgraff