Hi all!  I've been lurking here on and off for several years and just have
never gotten around to saying hello.  You probably won't see me post too
much since I'm generally quite lazy and it takes forever just to read all
the posts! :)  However be assured that the owners do offer purrs for all in
need.

Gossamer is a 9yo DSH who adopted me when I was in the midst of getting
divorced and only a couple of weeks after moving in to my new apartment.  A
friend and I had gone to a local pet store to acquire a small goldfish
set-up for her daughter.  A woman came in with a tiny ball of gray fuzz with
huge ears & told the owner that she had found this stray kitten and couldn't
keep it.
It was pretty much all over at that point.  Hands automatically reach for
small fuzzy creature, small fuzzy creature with extremely sharp claws climbs
up my chest and establishes itself under my hair across the back of my neck.
OK, so I guess I need a litter box, a collar and some kitten food.  I seen
to have obtained my very first cat.  She was a complete angel for her first
vet visit and she was pronounced a healthy 8 week old female kitten weighing
in at less than one pound.
A fine tangle of cobwebs she was and was so named.

About a year later I attended the 16th birthday party of a friend's niece
(funny I could have sworn said niece was just 5 a couple years ago....) and
their cat had just recently given birth to a litter of kittens who now
needed homes.  Biting my tongue about irresponsible pet owners, I protest
that I don't need another cat and my spoiled rotten princess will NOT be
happy if I should succumb to the incredible cuteness of 3 week old kittens.
Oh look, the only male in the litter is sporting a debonair tuxedo.
Two weeks later, irresponsible pet owner has had enough and wants all
kittens removed from house or they will be tossed outside.  <insert nasty
comments about the jerk here>  All kittens get found homes quickly and I end
up with the tiniest little tuxedo I've ever seen.  I've been informed that
he was the first to use the litterbox on his own and the first to drink from
a saucer.  KMR and kitten food, a bit of blanket in a small box and a NOT
HAPPY spoiled princess.
I have a new butler.  His name, of course, is Jeeves.

Gossamer did not purr for me for one full year after I brought the
interloper home.  She still does not really care for him but they get along
peacefully most of the time.

And from the tiniest of beginnings, I have raised monsters.  My sister has,
past and present with just one exception, normal sized cats in the 6-10 lb
range.
Gossamer weighs in at 16 lbs no matter what kind of diet we put her on.
Jeeves, who has actually lost a few pounds on the various diets, weighs in
at around 20 lbs.   And no sign of Maine Coon blood anywhere :)  Jeeves is
fathered by pure moggie tomcat and is just built solid.  Gossamer, while
admittedly over-fluffy, will also never be a petite girl.

The owners can be seen here: http://tinyurl.com/65bxm