Sparky, the communal cat

Her Groucho moustache makes me want to laugh, and the notch in the tip of her left ear makes me want to say "aww."

Like so many cats in Key West, she seems to be community property. Neighbor Thomas feeds her, landlord Steve feeds her when he's in town, I feed her. But despite two, three or four meals a day, she's a lean thing, and completely in touch with that "aloof" business.

Or at least she started that way. Couldn't pet her at first, and she wouldn't think of crossing a threshhold. Then she started leg-rubbing, and purring nicely when she got a bit of affection right around mealtime. Then she'd look up and meow for ear-scratches, arching and then collapsing and rolling over to get her belly tickled.

Now she usually sleeps the night on the bathroom rug, probably so she can catch me on the way to the kitchen.