I have two cats, Lunch and Thermos.

Lunch is the first of my cats. He showed up on my doorstep in the summer of 1991, damp, cranky, and tailless. He's a Manx, gray and white with greenish-yellow eyes. All his life he's felt a bit self-conscious; you know how cruel kids can be, pointing and laughing in the schoolyard at his stumpy tail.

Sometimes he's mad at the world.

Thermos is the black sheep of the family, which is handy, since he's also the black cat of the family. He bears an ever-so-slight resemblance to Socks, the First Cat. However, at this time Thermos reports no political ambitions: he seeks no nominations, and if nominated, will not run.

Thermos is by nature skittish and suspicious. He was a feral kitten rescued by the Northern Virginia SPCA. After almost ten years with me, he's just beginning to learn manners.

julie, your cats make me sneeze.