Meet Dexter the Tabby!

There are two things I have known about myself since I was a tiny child: One, I love cats. And two, I want to be a writer when I grow up.

On item one: Meet Dexter the Tabby. Dexter has gray, black, and white markings; a dark stripe down the back of his coat all the way to the black tip of his tail; and big white paws with fastidiously clean, pink toepads. He is one of my favorite photographic subjects. I promise you'll be seeing more of him in the coming days.

With my oldest sister's encouragement, I brought Dexter home to live with me in the summer of 2008. We ran before the darkness and rain and thunder of a fierce June thunderstorm that brought down trees, took out power, and caused flooding. In the cat carrier in the car, the newly named Dexter mewed piteously for ten minutes and then fell asleep. Arriving at my house, he immediately set upon establishing a reign of chaos.

He was just a two-pound kitten, full of mischief, one of the Itty Bitty City Kitties my sister rescued from a life on the streets in Harrisburg, PA. His mother and two brothers look just like him - all tabby stripes and white paws.

I love cats, and I especially love this cat. Every day he brings me joy.