"He's a cool cat," says Marcia Wold of eight year-old Ferris, her furry Maine Coon. "He's pretty nonplussed about things. Ferris likes to wait and see how everything shakes down before he reacts."

Wold says that while he is very gentle, he can become assertive when he wants to be let out at 4am. She explains, "He wakes me by slowly running his claws through my hair like he's combing me and it's pretty unnerving."

She says his favorite treats are lemon custard ice cream and coffee. "He used to try to scoop coffee out of my morning cup, but lately he dunks his whole paw in, lifts it out and raises it up like a doctor raises his gloves, and licks his paw. I say 'man, if I come back in another life I want to be a cat like Ferris."