Merlin

     On top of my usual feline "assistant" Cassie, I have a new one.  His name is Merlin--so named because he's a stray tom who comes and goes as he pleases.  He appears to have adopted us, and, though Mom was in the habit of driving him off when he first showed up, she's taken to him now and he appears here to stay.  I think part of that's because I was sneaking around feeding him at first because he was quite thin and needy.  I never turn away strays; I feel bad they seem to have no one else to go to, so I give them what I can.
     Merlin is a big cat.  He appears to be a mix of Siamese and stray orange cat.  He has bright powder-blue eyes and the yowling, attention-needy personality of the Siamese, and the build and average behavior of a barn cat.  Cassie and our outdoor former-tom, brown-and-black tabby Levi, tolerate his presence, and he chases off the neighborhood bully black-and-white who otherwise would beat the stuffing out of our two kitties.
     Now I've discovered he loves to help me take pictures of my jewelry about as much as Cassie does.  And it's just about as hard to take pictures of him because he has to be as close to me as possible, rubbing and purring.
     But, anyway, here's our Merlin.