We are a family of nine. We are five females and four males. Our family is made up of five humans and four others who are not considered humans. The other four are our pets. Although we consist of a mixture of different species, we still care for each other deeply. In our little family, the only non-female human has been dubbed the "goof ball", or in other words, the "oddest" of the bunch. That would be me. We humans all have our own little quirks, and I am, without a doubt, the quirkiest of the bunch … The other four human beings in our family would testify to that. But, couldn’t the fact that I happen to be a different gender from the rest be the reason that I appear so? Perhaps they just don’t understand me. And I wonder ... Is this just a human thing or does it exist with animals too? Cookie (that’s our dog) is the only female amongst our pets. Cookie and I are buds.

At times, I think the animals in the house are understood better than I am. We know when Rocky (that’s our cat) is hungry. (He starts meowing and doesn’t stop ‘til he’s fed.) We also know when Rocky wants to go out or come in. (He meows ‘til we let him out or he meows ‘til we let him in.) When he rolls on his back, he wants his belly rubbed, which makes him hungry so he meows. When he enters the house he goes straight for the food bowl. If it’s empty, he meows. I swear he meows to go outside just to come back in and head for the food bowl again. He weighs 600 pounds. His belly fur dusts the floor. We encourage him to roam the whole house.

Jinx (that’s our kitten) is the baby of the family, and like all babies, everything he does is sooooo cute! "Look at how cute Jinx is sleeping." … "Look how cute, Jinx caught a bug." … "Isn’t Jinx cute, the way he stands by the door and meows like Rocky when he wants to go out?" … "Cute, cute, cute!" … "Meow, meow, meow!" Since he’s arrived, Jinx has been allowed special privileges that have not been extended to all. He’s the only pet allowed on the couch. "Oh … He’s just a baby! Let him stay." Poor Cookie lies on her pillow, in the corner, on the floor, watching Jinx snooze away comfortably in forbidden territory. Does she understand why Jinx gets away with such behavior? Cookie must think to herself. "If that were me, I’d get yelled at! Wa’sup widat?"

Luke (that’s our fish) is also a male. How do I know? Because his name is "Luke", that’s how! Domenica (that’s my wife) wouldn’t name a female fish "Luke"! That would be silly. Luke never comes out of his water and never jumps on the couch. Luke never meows when he’s hungry. He doesn’t even complain when Rocky and Jinx hop up on the kitchen table and drink from his home. I think they really love his fish flavored water. Rocky usually gets yelled at when he drinks from Luke’s bowl. Jinx is sooooo cute when he does it. I wonder what Luke thinks when whiskers break the surface. Probably nothing ... Luke never complains.

Cookie never drinks from Luke’s bowl. Does that make her odd?