Harper and Junior and the Cashes : Furry Friends Fur-Ever Tail

“My husband Kent and I, as well as both of our grown sons, have been lifelong cat lovers,” Lori says. “In 2016, we adopted a rescue from a friend who was the ‘cat love of our lives.’ We named him Griffey because our second love is baseball. We later adopted Jeter from Kent’s cousin, and Griffey and Jeter became fast friends. Sadly, Griffey had an underlying heart issue that went undetected, and we lost him to a saddle thrombosis in March of 2023. While Kent and I grieved for Griffey, Jeter grieved more. He lost his purr, wouldn’t eat or play and went into a deep depression. We weren’t ready for a new kitty but Jeter was.

“I had followed Furry Friends for awhile and started looking for a new kitten to adopt. In May 2023, I was interested in one named Tart from the Pastry Group whose looks reminded us of Griffey. But when we went to meet him at his foster home, a kitten named Biscuit chose us! After adopting her, we renamed her Harper after baseball player Brice Harper. Jeter and Harper became fast friends, and Jeter found his appetite and his purr again! Harper ‘rides’ Kent like a surfboard at night and curls up in any open lap. She plays fetch for hours with a twisted pipe cleaner and sits next to my husband whenever he works from home.  

“I kept following Furry Friends and last summer, when I saw the photo of Hercules, I needed to meet him and see if our personalities meshed. After learning that he would be shown at PetSmart the next day, I told Kent about him. When I took Hercules out of his cage, he immediately started kneading bread on my arm, and I knew that he was coming home with me.

“We renamed him Griffey, Jr. after the original Griffey since they share many of the same personality traits. Although Jeter took to him immediately, Harper, who can be a little princess, needed more time. My sister’s grandkids especially love Junior whom they call ‘Little Kitty,’ and he loves being carried around and cuddled by them. With the personality of a dog, he greets people at the door while the other two hide under a bed or climb into their tree.

“While Jeter and Junior’s favorite toy is a little white box with holes that a feather randomly pops out of, Harper has not only taught Junior to play fetch with pipe cleaners, they also enjoy watching TV. Junior loves sleeping on the bed and tries to get under the covers, but because he’s so fluffy and so warm, that’s always short lived. He also loves to hide, but he always gives away his hiding place with his big fluffy tail or his cute little face. All three cats love Churu treats, and I’ve taught them to sit and give high fives for licks. We love our ‘little baseball team’ and are so grateful to the people who give their time, love and talents to these kitties!”

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Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.