Crampton's the name.  Benjamin Tobias Crampton.  I live in Akron, Ohio, with my family, and our cats.

We have sixteen cats.  All Maine Coons.  My wife breeds them for a living.  We show them at cat shows a few times a year (some of them have won awards).  Meanwhile, I work at a local high school, where I am a football coach.

Now that football season's overwith, I have more time to help my wife with our cats.  It's a never-ending job, but when one of our cats wins a ribbon or a trophy, then all of the hard work is worth it.

In addition to our cats, we have two daughters, Kaysie (13) and Emily (10).  They keep us busy, too, especially when they have their sporting events/functions (like in the summer; both play girl's softball at their respective schools).

I am going to tell you about Rickie, one of our older cats who is now past show quality.  Instead he's turned into a loving, compatable companion for our family.

One of Rickie's more endearing quirks is his hugs.  Yes, hugs.  He will sit on your shoulder, put his big, furry paws around your neck, and give you hugs.  He will also purr in your ear or lick your hair (he loves long hair). 

Somehow, after a bad day, Rickie's hugs seem to make all the bad times vanish.  He seems to know if you're unhappy, so he will make sure to try to  cheer you up, as only a kitty cat can.  All one has to do is feel his soft, strong paws around your neck or hear his loud purring, and their worries, fears, tears instantly vanish.

Rickie is sixteen years old, which is old for a cat; however, he still has a lot of life left in him.  He loves to spend his days with a human companion, keeping them company, or play with his balls of yarn or catnip.  He may be old, but he still has a lot of kitten left in him.

Rickie is also very big:  he weighs about 30 pounds.  He's always been this big; it's not that he's overweight:  he's just solid muscle.  He eats well; we don't feed him table scraps or anything like that; so we know we aren't overfeeding him. 

He gets plenty of exercise, chasing his Maine Coon brothers or sisters around, fighting them for the choicest tidbits of food, batting their heads when they invade his space, and licking them when he wants to give them some lovin'.    He loves to chase his tail, or to chase one of the girls in one of his fits of energy.  (He does this just about every morning.)

I only hope that Rickie has plenty of more years left.  He's been a wonderful companion to the wife, kids, and fellow kittycats, and I am glad he's a part of our lives!