Greet Mill Creek has two precious pets this month: Leo and Marty, two cats belonging to Henry M. Jackson High School teacher, Robyn McCleave, and her husband, Tom. Though the cats have lived in the same household for many years, they have completely different personalities, which they express through their many antics.

Leo is older than Marty, and has lived with the McCleaves for 6 years. He was a rescue from Everett Animal Shelter, gaining his name from his distinctive stripes reminiscent of his big cat relatives. Despite his strong name, Leo has a very wary personality and is afraid of most things, but it doesn't keep him from enjoying the outdoors. 

Marty appears to be everything Leo is not, from his fearlessness to his hate of the outdoors. Robyn’s favorite example of this is when she and Tom had come back from a vacation. “He just dropped out of the sky,” laughed Robyn. In his excitement, Marty had leaped from the second floor to greet his returning family and, in the process, created a fond memory that perfectly encapsulates his style.

Leo also likes to greet Robyn and Tom at the door, but he is much more well-mannered in his behavior. “He thinks it’s his job,” said Robyn. “It’s very important to him.” This has been true for the whole time Leo has been a part of the McCleave family. Robyn and Tom had rescued him along with another cat. Their children had recently left for college, and lifelong cat-lover Tom talked Robyn into adopting a cat, though she had never wanted one. She was allergic to cats, but gained immunity through owning them. “I’m allergic to all cats except for the cats in my home,” remarked Robyn.

Marty joined the household through some unfortunate circumstances. After the untimely death of the other cat that was rescued alongside Leo, Robyn and Tom were devastated. Feeling an emptiness in their family, they chose to adopt Marty from a teacher whose husband was allergic. Marty fit in perfectly, bringing his unique personality to a new family. One such quirk is his tent. As mentioned before, Marty is a very passionate indoor cat. However, Robyn takes them outside in the morning and Marty refuses this form of entertainment. Instead, he stays inside a tent outside the house. In Robyn’s words, “It’s very silly, but that’s Marty.”

Leo makes the most of this time, running and playing in the grass. During other parts of the day, he likes to sit by the window and watch the other neighborhood cats play. But through their differences, Marty and Leo share one thing in common: sleep. Robyn was in disbelief at the amount of sleeping cats did when they first entered her family, with some sleeping for upwards of 20 hours in one day. Even though they may play with their toys for a bit, they always end up asleep again. These cats are extremely fun and unique.