   
This is Homer! We got Homer as a play mate for Patches. For a long, long time, I wanted an orange- haired cat. The backstory: One time my mom and I found a little orange kitten and loved him SO much. We kept him over night, because the temperatures were literally freezing outside. He stayed in the spare bathroom overnight, and I spent a lot of time with him. I thought if there was a chance we could keep him, I’d name him Seven, since he would be our seventh cat! The next day, we went around the neighborhood asking people if they lost a kitten. One woman said, "Yes!" and was so happy to have her kitten back. She was terribly worried about him, and very glad to see him. We knew he was in good hands. So the good memories of snuggling with that sweet cat led me to want an orange cat of my own someday. When Joe and I decided to get a second cat, I started browsing the Devon Rex sites. I love this breed! They are supposed to be less irritating to people with cat allergies, because of their coats. They only have the undercoat, and it is usually wavy, or curly, and incredibly soft. Since they don’t have a top coat of fur, they get very cold and love to snuggle with you as much as possible. And by nature, the breed is very kitten like, playful, and affectionate. I browsed and browsed, and came across Homer’s profile. He was perfect! He is a red and white mactabby, and he’s a Devon Rex hybrid (he does have a top coat, and straight hair, rather than the common Devon curls... isn't he gorgeous?! I love him!). He is 3/4 Devon and 1/4 British Shorthair. And he is a cutie pie!  Homer lived in Dallas, Texas when I found him online. I began emailing with his breeder. While I was in Corpus Christi visiting my dad over the Christmas holidays, we finalized the decision. I called my airline, and when I flew through Dallas on my way home to Los Angeles, I had a small layover. That was when Homer’s breeder brought him to me, and transferred him into a soft carrier I’d bought specifically for him. He was 10 months old, and weighed 6 and a half pounds. I only saw him for a short time before he was placed in the carrier. Right away, I thought he was just awesome! The first thing I noticed about him is his super long tail, which my vet always thought was the coolest thing! Joe met me in the airport. He asked how the trip was and if he could see him. I told him how surprised I was that Homer didn’t meow the entire plane ride! Joe lifted up the flap of the carrier and said, "He’s crying right now!" I looked and sure enough, Homer was letting out the softest little meows, over and over again. He was scared, but we were home shortly. We kept him separated from Patches for a little bit. We did, however, let her look at him through the mesh, and she immediately reached out and got her claw stuck in it! D'oh! We detached her and gave Homer some privacy. Once in a secluded room, Homer came out of his carrier and immediately hid under the bed. I couldn’t help feeling impatient. I guess I should have expected he'd hide, but I so wanted him to like me and get to know me. Looking back, I can't believe I was so impatient. I guess I was just really excited. It didn't take long for me to realize and accept that it might take a while for Homer to feel comfortable. I just wanted to look at him and be near him for a little bit, so I laid down on my stomach next to the guest bed he'd taken refuge under. It was good just to be with him. Lying very still, I just spoke softly for a while, told him he was home and that I loved him and that we’d have a lot of fun together. He sat very still and watched me, but didn’t come near me. He didn’t want to eat anything at first, either. He changed his mind when we offered him tuna! After a day or two, we left the door open to see what would happen. It seemed like a full 24 hours that Patches just followed Homer everywhere. Once that stopped, they actually seemed to like each other. They even laid down and stopped moving around for a little bit! They spent some time grooming each other and it seemed all was well.  "Yeah, I think I'm starting to relax now.." Since then, Homer has revealed himself to be a very crazy, silly, super affectionate cat. He follows me around the house, meowing at the top of his lungs. He is very vocal! Like a puppy, he craves attention. He cries sometimes if he's not sure where I am, and when I call him, he usually comes to me. Then he purrs and purrs while I pet him. He is a very cool cat! His breeder told me he will sometimes grab onto your pants as you walk and just hold on as he is dragged around the house. I laughed so hard when Homer did this to me one time! Homer likes to be near me, but is not really a lap cat. He won't just crawl onto my lap, unless I'm sitting under a blanket. He loves lying on top of my legs or my stomach if I've got a blanket over me. Also, when I wake up in the morning, he is often lying against my legs. The only way he lets anyone hold him is upside down like a baby. He is very silly and I couldn’t love him more!  d.o.b.: Feb 20, 1999   
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