At one time Anthony fostered a number of cats for the Heart of Minnesota Animal Shelter. They have all gone on to find families of their own now, but I will always remember and love them. Here are a few, click each thumbnail for the full-size image.

Nina
Nina had lost most of the use of one of her back legs after being attacked and mauled by a large dog. In spite of everything she was one of the most outgoing cats I've ever met, she even still likes dogs. Nina was also a fan of Ansel Adams, she sat and looked at his photos a lot and would change her meditation spots when I moved his pictures.

Chloe
I fostered Chloe for a while when I still had Nina. Chloe had been living outside an apartment building during the winter of 2004-2005 and wasn't happy about being brought into the shelter, despite some obvious frostbite damage to her ears. I started fostering her to evaluate whether she would be adoptable since she was acting out against kennel workers. Of course she cuddled with Nina and I the second night and was later adopted and is busily living happily ever after.

Bunny
Bunny was a painfully shy kitten who spent much of the first months of her life hiding behind her litterbox at the shelter. It took a few weeks and a lot of coaxing at my house but eventually she came out of her shell and was one of the sweetest cats I've known. A young couple adopted her and another young cat and I always enjoy getting updates from them.

Bella
Bella was 180 degrees opposite Bunny, outgoing, demanding, and determined. She was lovable though and lived with me while having and raising her three kittens.

Karuna, Mudita, and Maitri
Bella's kittens, their names come from the Sanskrit words meaning boundless compassion, boundless joy, and boundless love... good descriptions of their personalities.

Faith, Hope, and Grace
A couple months after Bella's kittens were adopted I came to realize how much work she did when I had a set of bottle kittens - Faith, Hope, and Grace.

Pepper
Pepper was another shy cat that I fostered along with her more outgoing friend Spot. Pepper loved to drink from faucets, and would often sit in the bathroom sink meowing at me.

Spot
After a few months of little kittens it was nice to have an adult cat who liked to snuggle instead of playing and biting my toes all night.