My name is Rambo. Pretty cool huh?? My human family named me that because I was so tough when they first brought me home. I was not afraid of anything....even Lacey the big cat who lived there already. You can see how tough I looked in the first picture below. Sometimes they call me Little Guy, Fangs (cause I have long teeth), or Freak though. Lisa (aka mom) first saw me at the Ridgeview Vet Clinic while she was spending time with all of the cats that live there temporarily waiting for new homes. I was born there with my five siblings and loved to play with my brothers and sisters. Of course my mom fell in love with me and eventually talked Jerry (aka dad) into letting me come live with them.

Wow did I have fun when I got to my new home. It was huge!!!!! I ran around and played and wanted to see everything at one time! Unfortunately, my family would not allow me upstairs during the day at first because Lacey, that is the other cat in the family, was scared of me for some reason. She hissed at me and ran away whenever I got near her. So my family felt it was best to keep us separated for a while. What they did not know is that I am unstoppable! I managed to get past all of their blockades by the stairs until they finally just gave up. It was great! I had another whole floor to explore.

I tried my best to introduce myself to Lacey so she would not be scared anymore. I was careful with her and would walk very, very slowly up to her until she saw me. Then I would lay down and act all submissive (I was just pretending) so she would not run away. I also tried to get close to her while she was getting a drink of water. There is a curtain hanging next to the bowl and it was perfect for sneaking up behind and getting a good look at her. Sometimes she would see me peaking though and she got scared anyway. I just did not know what to do with this cat! Finally I just decided that I had to try a new strategy and simply started playing with her. I would chase her and jump on her. But she did not seem to like that either and my family would always stop me. But I was determined to make her play with me, so I just kept on trying until one day she played back!! It was so fun and now we have a blast chasing each other and wrestling around. Sometimes she even opens the closet doors for me so that I can go in and explore. :-) I watch her a lot too, because I learn a lot of things by keeping an eye on what she does. For example, I have started to lay around in really weird positions, because Lacey does it and gets attention for it. It works...especially when we do it at the same time!

Unlike some cats, I like water. I think it is so cool! It makes neat noises and moves. Sometimes I help my mom wash dishes, scrub the floors, clean the bath tub, and even shave her legs. She does not mind me "helping", but she protests when I get into the water to help and she has to get me out and dry me off. And the toilet...what a cool invention! I won't even go into that.

My family thinks I talk a lot because I make many different sounds and have a meow for every occasion. I have this one sound I make when I am in their lap and they aren't paying enough attention to me. It is kind like a short little grunt meow that I do without even opening my mouth. It gets them every time. And boy can I make them come running with my pitiful "double meow" meow! Sometimes they just laugh and shake their head at my kitty talk. Actually they laugh at me a lot. I guess I must be kind of amusing. :-)

I am three years old now, so I am much bigger than I was when I first came home,but I still love to cuddle with my family. When my mom lays down on the couch to read a book, I jump up on her chest and plop right down. Then she pets me until I go to sleep. It is very nice. I also cuddle with dad and Michael whenever they are sitting some place long enough for me to get settled in. Best of all is when mom and dad are watching television and I can drape myself across both of them. Double the love and attention...you can't beat that.

What things do I like? Well, I love milk! I get a little bit every morning. When my dad finishes his cereal, he leaves a tiny bit in the bottom of the bowl. Some days I get impatient for him to finish and he has to tell me to wait my turn. Then when my mom has her cereal she puts another tiny bit in another bowl for me. I also love cheese and ice cream!!! I like pretty much anything dairy I guess. I am also willing to try about anything. My family is good about letting me get a taste of things on their fingers as long as I stay off the table. Most of the things aren't too bad, but sometimes I come across something that just is not that good...chili for example. Yuck!

I have this one habit that my family doesn't understand. Every time my mom puts some fresh hard food in my and Lacey's dishes, I eat a bit and then try to cover them up. By the time I am finished with my work, I have both bowls moved away from the wall and have covered them with air from every side.

My family thinks I am part tiger because I like to stalk my mom all the time. It is fun because it kind of freaks her out. I crouch down real low and start slowly across the room, never taking my eyes off of her even if dad tries to distract me. I am so focused! Okay, once in a while I move my eyes over to glance at him for just a second, but I never turn my head. After a long time, I finally reach mom and then jump up, touch her with my paw, and walk away like I never did anything out of the ordinary. It never fails to make them laugh and wonder why I did it to begin with.

They also think I am part puppy because I love to chew on things, I paw at the doors when they are closed (which I would not have to do if they would not shut me out), and I like to steal things and drag them off. They don't mind when I do this to my toys, but my mom does not like it when I drag her bra or clothes hangers out into the living room, or when I steal her watch off the bathroom counter. I guess sometimes they don't think I am quite so amusing, but you live and you learn. Besides they love me anyway!