GIMME SHELTER

I can tell my new friend Lucy Liu and I will be great friends. We have so much in common. For instance, she mentioned she'd been a stray once. Oh my god, me too!

But I never lived in a shelter. I was plucked off the street as a baby by my first owner. Casey, however, did spend some time locked up - at the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, N.Y. He doesn't remember anything about it, though, because mom sprung him when he was just 9 weeks old.

Mom says he was a tiny thing, just all ears and mouth. (That last bit hasn't changed. He's sooo noisy it's like shut up already.) 'Course by the time I met him years later, he was huge. Everyone called him Gordiflón.

He's still a big boy, but, like me, he's also slimmed down with age. Sure can't say that about the humans in this household! (Watch it, missy! - Ed.) See how little I look in comparison. Positively petite. A wisp of a girl ... who doesn't need stretchy pants. Hee. 

Casey may be big, but smart? I just about missed the litterbox when Lucy Liu said he looked "highly intelligent." Oh, girlfriend, the stories I could tell you!

Anyway, her letter got me thinking maybe some of you are unfamiliar with palmetto bugs. That's a shame, but I'm sure West Virginia offers great feline entertainment, too. Click here to see a good specimen.