I've got 'em. Three cats and a curious Sheltie. I like 'furbabies' but have always called them 'muffins', since I was a little girl. If I call "Muffins!" all of the animals will come running. However, they do have real names as well.

Sarah the black & white Sheltie always thinks she's helping but at 15 I'm afraid she's losing interest. She'll sleep in the sewing room when I'm working but no longer chases ever scrap that falls to the floor. I miss that.
GrayC ("Gracie") is a 22+ pound tabby and the queen of the household. She's always close by and gets sole possession of the small sofa in the room. She was my mother's cat and is spoiled beyond belief; we always said we would fix that but it turns out her will is stronger than ours so she still gets whatever she wants, when she wants it!
Jack Bauer is a very clever, large, long, tall tuxedo cat who takes up WAY too much room on the sewing table (or computer desk) when he chooses to lay there. Jack is kind of a loner, but if he wants attention, he plops down between me and the sewing machine even if I'm sewing and wraps his paws around my hand. He's so darn cute there's no way to say no to him. DH Jim tells people this cat is my boyfriend. LOL, he's not far from wrong!
Then there's McQueen, a flame point Siamese with beautiful blue eyes the color of faded denim. He does not get along with any other muffin in the house, so he's often in trouble - but he's very personable like a typical Siamese. He hangs out with me constantly, talks almost all the time and will sit on the sewing table staring at my face from only inches away if I ignore him! I don't know if he's crazy, obsessed or just needy! McQueen hates Jack and that has caused some household strife. I think it's also the reason McQueen rubs his face all over my machine: he's putting his scent over every thing Jack has touched and declaring that it's his territory.

Kate (whose life at home is ruled by the furbabies)

Kate, is GrayC a Maine coon cat? I know they get really big.

We used to have a calico cat named Sarah. We sure miss her.

Jack sounds like our George...he's long and lean and tall! He has long legs so it's hard to avoid him boxing me if he's lying on the sewing room floor. He also opens doors since he can reach the door handles. Penny has long hair but it's disguising her little porky figure. :) I know when she has her annual checkup next month they will fuss at us for her being overweight.

She is THE QUEEN OF EVERYTHING and was not happy at all about bringing George into her house. They are fighting less but still go at each other several times a day. I'm not going to separate their food or buy a second litter box; they're just going to have to work it out. Other than that they are spoiled rotten! LOL

Donna

No, she's not a Maine Coon, although I've always wanted a Maine Coon or a Norwegian Forrest Cat. She is simply and gloriously FAT. That's not a word I use often, but that's what GrayC is. She has a tiny head, a tail that would look correct on a kitten and short, short legs. In between the head, tail and stubby legs is the Hindenburg. We talk about giving her a shot of helium to see if we could float her. "Oh the humanity! Oh the huge GrayC!"

Kate! I have to show you what my DH had as his screen saver

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

LOL! I was going to post the same picture but didn't have it on my computer at work! Its perfect!!!

There are common threads with quilters (bad pun) and cats seem to be one of them. OF COURSE I have cats. There is Lil Abner, a very young man of about six months now and destined to be a mammouth feline, I suspect. And at the other end of the spectrum is Polly Anna Pinky, a diminuative and dainty little tortie of about five months.

My sewing room is no longer open to the animals, but yeah the cats have always loved to sleep on quilts in progress when I bring them downstairs to work on them. It's like they're saying that finished or not, the quilt is large enough to accomodate them.

Then there is Tubby, a tiny Italian greyhound/fox terrier mix.

Since I've been talking about GrayC, here's a picture of her with Santa:

We have one feline who gets called various names. Her proper name is Prissy and Miss Priss she is. She isn't interested in fabric unless it's already put together into a quilt top laying on the floor....then she inspects it. Or, if the fabric closet doors are left open, she'll try and climb to the top. When things start falling, she scoots like it wasn't her fault. She's pretty docile but doesn't like to eat unless we stand there and watch her. What a hoot!

SharonG/FL

I have one inside kitty, Elliot. He will be 16 this year. He is either asleep somewhere or is a very talky/needy cat. As he has gotten older the talking has turned more into screeching/yowling/caterwauling - DH is not fond of Elliot. When I'm sewing, I try to get him to sit behind me on the chair so he is close but not in the way. Of course, that is not what he wants - he prefers to sit right on my lap, in the middle of whatever I am doing. He doesn't bother or play with what I am working on (except for chasing bindings as I'm sewing those long strips of fabric on) he just wants to be on my lap when he wants to - but not when I want him. He hates being 'held' and will never stay if I pick him up - contact must be initiated by him. Here is a picture of him. We were not trying to capture an 'evil' look, he just is rarely quiet, so this is him doing what he typically does, and as you can see he does it with full gusto.
Karlene

Here is a link that might be useful:

Karlene - has Elliot had his thyroid checked? Sounds like what my Harley (large red tabby) did - Harley is now on meds for overactive thyroid. Vet said it was not unusual for an older cat to have this (Harley howled a lot along with nibbling the back of my leg - he was hungry all the time but losing weight slowly).

I also have a gray tabby (Heidi - who lives up to her name and hides when anyone comes in the house) and then there's Miss Kitty (2 1/2). Harley and Heidi are both 9 and the sewing room is definitely off limits to all of them. Neither is very fond of Miss Kitty either.

I used to occasionally post on here (about 6 years ago) in preparation for retirement and the 'assumption' I would actually have time to learn how to make quilts (I have sewn for 60 years). I was using a different screen name at that time.

I have retired as of almost 2 years ago - I have yet to have time to make a quilt! Still hoping that maybe 2012 will be the year I'll get into quilting.

Carolyn

I had a cat years ago, but don't currently have one because I would be the one to take care of it, and I just don't have the time for any indoor pets. Outside, we have 6 quarter horses, a golden retriever and a rottweiler. My dd would love it if we had a cat or small dog, but I know I'd be the one to care and clean up after them.

Calliope, your Polly Anna Pinky is adorable! I had a tortie, Fade, who lived to be almost 13 with a severe hyperthyroid condition. Although she was on thyroid meds that sweet cat yowled at night, ate everything she could get her paws on and was supermodel skinny. She had the most expressive face and I miss her.

This is Shadow helping me hand quilt. He is my 2 yr old 15 pound monster.

And my 16 year old sweetie, Peekaboo, that inspects my work.

Cats and quilts.........oh my........a thread doesn't get much better than this! Kate, why don't you feed that poor starving GrayC? LOL As for Torties, I read somewhere that they're the hardest of the cats for shelters to place. I couldn't believe that, I am totally smitten with torties, and have always wanted one, and as soon as I brought home by marmalade tabby boy, I found her where her feral mother had left her under a stand of juniper bushes. The calico mother saw me and never returned, and so I became her new mother.

I so enjoy seeing and reading about everybody else's furry companions. It's so obvious how we all enjoy their 'assistance' with our needlework.

Such pretty kitties!! I will have to show my daughter. I can hear the awwwwww's already!

Robbi

Cannahavana, our new George was named Shadow when we adopted him, but it just didn't seem right for him. He's into everything so he got named George, as in Curious George.

I love all kitties...don't care what color they are!

Donna