Werner and Melanie write:The dog-lover's breed

When we were trying to decide what kind of cat to get and from where, we read that Maine Coons are known as 'the dog-lover's cat'. Huh?

Now that Phoebe is here and part of our family, we're beginning to understand what this means. Unlike most cats, Phoebe loves water. We sometimes put a little water in the tub and let her play; we've never put in enough to see whether she would (and could) swim, but chances are good that she'd enjoy it.

She also plays fetch. Really. As a young kitten, we would sit at the bottom of the stairs and throw a little ball up the stairs; she would chase it and bat it back to us. As she has grown, this has evolved into full-on fetch. She'll bring us one of her toy mice, drop it, and look eagerly and longingly at us until the mouse is thrown. Once it is airborn, she'll scramble on the hardwood floor and chase after it. She'll pick it up in her mouth, use a front paw (usually her left) to adjust the mouse's position in her mouth, bring it back, and proudly drop it at our feet.

This can go on for hours.

Who ever heard of a cat playing fetch? Turns out that Phoebe's mother, Sacajawea, loves to retrieve, and Phoebe has clearly inherited this passion.

This is just one more thing that makes Phoebe into her own unique type of cat - a true Phoebecat!

PS - Phoebe will stoop only so low, though: plans to train her to take a harness (and eventually a lead) have not gone so well...