Chablis (F) blue eyed Himalayan, champagne/dark brown, @5 yrs, allergic to people; Syrah (M) Abyssian, amber sorrel, vocal, only eats salmon; Merlot (M) orange/white Maine Coon, 20 lbs, @8 yrs, a watchcat—all Katrina rescues take care of Jillian Hart, recently widowed quilter, 41 yrs. They live in Mercy, SC where everything is 5 mins. away. Syrah’s catnapping (Bk1) leads to many other cats. #1/1+

Hilda & Olaf (brother & sister) share the home of newly widowed Emma Diamond in Houston, TX. Hilda is a diva & bug chaser. Olaf has long silver gray hair & is a loving lap cat. Both love cartoons & being with Emma when she plays computer bridge & a comfort to her when she misses her husband. Bonus: Bridge Tips. #1/2+

Lord Spencer, (like Princess Di’s brother) is big, soft gray with pure white paws & white diamond under chin. He lives with Dr. Rebecca Butterman, 38, divorced clinical psychologist & e-zine advice columnist Dr. Aster. They live in Guilford CT, a suburb of New Haven. Jackson (Annabelle’s orange tiger kitten) visits in BK3. Rebecca likes Spencer better than most of the other men she knows. #1/3+

Miss Marple, an 8 lb. regal gray domestic longhair with white boots, is the resident cat at “Haven’t Got a Clue” mystery bookstore. Tricia Miles, divoriced, 40ish owner, lives above the store. Stoneham, NH. has a street of bookstores with similarly cute names, run by antiquarian & specialty booksellers. Her sister takes over the Cookery right next door. Bonus: Recipes. #1/2+

Moishe, a 20+ lb. orange/white tomcat who is half blind with a torn left ear, camps on Hannah's condo doorstep & wins her heart. Hannah Swensen owns The Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minn. Moishe hates Hannah's mother Delores, loves "kitty crunchies" & sleeping on Hannah's favorite pillow. In Cherry Cheesecake Murder (bk8) Moishe gets a part in a movie. Bonus: Recipes in all books. #1/11+

Baylor is an enormous orange tabby, 2 yr, old male with blue eyes that Mary Catherine Roberts, 4 time widowed pet psychic rescued as a kitten at the doorstep of the house she inherited from her aunt in Wilminton, NC. Mary & Baylor can read each other’s thoughts. She runs a free animal clinic at the house & Baylor accompanies her for her Pet Psychic radio show. Bonus recipes for animals. #1/1+

Horatio, tabby & white, is baker Corinna Chapman’s roommate. Heckle & Jekyll, (M&F) B&W ex-alley cats are the bakery’s Mouse Police. Belladonna (F) all black resident of Sybil’s Café (New Age Shop) of best friend Meroe. Lucifer, Tori, Nox (aka Soot): Kittens of Calico appear at end of Bk1, have greater parts thereafter as companions to cast of colorful characters in Melbourne, Australia. #1/4-