"Antony" is an important member of our family: as important to me as my wife, kids, and mother.  

Antony is a two year old Abyssinian cat: orange-red with black ticked ends to his short fur, so he looks as if he has ashes sprinkled all over his furry body.  He has large green eyes that miss nothing, long whiskers, erect ears, and an ever-twitching tail.   

"Antony" is absolutely beautiful.  (Sometimes we call him "Ashy" because of his ticked fur.  In fact, that is what we usually call him.  

Sometimes that confuses people.  Whenever they hear us talk about "Antony" (or "Ashy"; take your pick), they think we have another cat.  We tell him that "Ashy" is his nickname, but he will respond to either "Antony" or "Ashy".  He knows who we are talking to (or about).  He is not a dumb cat: Antony/Ashy is extremely intelligent, as far as cats go.

If there is one thing that people find out quickly about our cat, it is that he purrs practically nonstop.  

We call him "The Mad Purr-er".  If he isn't purring, then we know something must really be wrong.  He loves people and nothing pleases him more than turning on the kitty charm and loving all over people, be it family, friend, foe, or even stranger.  Antony/Ashy loves everybody, even if people don't love him back (or have an allergy to cats).

Some of Antony/Ashy's favorite activities include watching the birds from the safety of the front living room window (talking to them all the while), batting string or rolled up pieces of paper, playing "fetch" (yes, he retrieves things, just like a dog would do; it's hilarious to see!), sleeping up to 14-16 hours a day (and prowling around at night), eating, and then the cycle repeats itself, all over again.

My wife wanted a cat, so this was how Antony/Ashy came into the picture.  It was love at first purr/meow.  Our kids love him as much as she does.  Bettye (mother), on the other hand, could really care less: she's more of a dog person, anyway.  I will say this much: ever since Antony came into our lives, our lives have not been the same.  Whoever thought our hearts would be held hostage by a six pound furry feline??