Here is the story of Maxx and Zaen, as told by Carlye, their mom (and one of the Pips...).

"My husband and I were perfectly happy with our 2 cat family. Izzy and Zazie bonded from the start, and all was right in our world. About a year after their adoption, I heard an ungodly howling coming from the back yard. It was hard to believe that such a wretched noise was coming from such a lovely grey cat. The neighbors complained. We gritted our teeth. And, of course, I fed her. She howled, she ate, and she howled some more. She wouldn't let us get near her.

In desperation I set up a "have-a-heart" trap. I reasoned that I really ought to take her to the vet for shots and a microchip check. The clever girl managed to trip the trap without getting caught. My strategy changed from "have-a-heart" to "heart to heart". I sat in the back yard and talked to her, explaining the reasons why I needed to take her to the vet and how sorry I was. And then she crawled into my lap… really!

She was thin but healthy, and no one appeared to be looking for her. Nor, it seemed, had anyone ever taught her how to play like a cat, either. In a word, Zaen was a feline nerd.

Zazie and Izzy were way too cool to let Zaen into their clique. They offered no nose rubs, no grooming, no curl up time, no games. Ever hopeful, Zaen kept trying, looking sadder and more bewildered each time she was rebuffed. I even considered finding the possibility of finding her a new home where she might feel more at ease.

But instead, I visited the local shelter, thinking I might be able to find her a friend. Lo and behold, a little tiger cat named Circo caught my eye. I spent another hour or so wandering the facilities before returning to check him out again. Evidently, he had spent that time thinking about me, too, because shortly after I sat down in his room he crawled into my lap. The shelter volunteer said she'd never seen or heard of him doing that with anyone else before. His former owners had surrendered him and his other four housemates due to medical reasons.

Circo is now known as Maxx, and he and Zaen have become best buddies. Zaen has blossomed from their friendship. She no longer cowers around the other cats, and she has managed to make serious headway in her attempts to groom Izzy. Zaen is now our most lap-able and night-cuddling cat. She has even begun to play.

Maxx still suffers from abandonment issues, but he's beginning to ask for pets with a loud "meow". He butts heads nightly with Zaen during feeding time and frequently curls up with her. He enjoys listening to poetry (especially T.S. Eliot) and the sound of bowls clinking."