Pet Profiles: Giles

Giles (aka "Handsome") was just a scared, hungry, flea-bitten kitten when we found him in the street. We were heading home from dinner one night when we lived in the Bay Area and saw a kitten sitting in the middle of the street. My husband and I just looked at each other and we both knew we'd have to try to catch him. He dashed into the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant, so we followed.

He tried to run away, and Erik climbed a fence and dug through a bunch of ivy in the dark looking for him. I guess the smell of my leftover lasagna was too good to resist, so he let Erik catch him and we took him home.

He's been with us for more than a decade, but in some ways he's still a jumpy street urchin. We rarely see him in the summer as he spends most of his days lounging on the back patio and his nights out catting around. But in the winter he spends more time indoors and becomes more friendly and cuddly.