Well, I’ve been getting a lot of requests to blog about my two cats, Rocco and Ozzie, so here goes.

Rocco was born in 2003, so he’s four. Ozzie was born in 2004; he’ll be three in August. They are full-blooded Bengal cats. People always ask, what is a Bengal? Well, they are a breed of cat that tends to be on the wild side. They’re about as close to a wild pet as you can get. They have different mannerisms from normal domesticated cats.



They love water, which is strange. If I’m in the shower, they try and get in the shower. Most cats hate water. They also don’t have pet dandruff. They have hair, not fur.



Rocco is what’s called a marble pattern. Ozzie is spotted. Ozzie has spots, and Rocco has lines. Ozzie is gray, and Rocco is brown. They’re lean and muscular. That’s another reason I like them. They’re real particular in what they eat. I feed them an all-natural cat food, and they love chicken. If I’m eating chicken, they go crazy. They want to eat too, but I don’t like to feed them off my plate.



When I got Ozzie, we went to the breeder, and he was the runt of the litter. The breeder thought I wouldn’t want him. I’m sort of the runt, so I picked him. I took to him quickly. He’s doing great now. He’s grown up. He weighs about 13 pounds. Rocco is a lot bigger. He weighs 18 pounds. Ozzie has a spot where he sleeps near my trophies. He guards my trophies when I’m on the road.



They’re very active and playful. They like to get rough with me. I end up with a lot of scratches. I can put a sock over my arm and make hand gestures, and they’ll come attack my arm. I have a railing in my house, and they’ll get on the railing, which is 18 feet high, and they walk and fight on that railing. They’ve never fallen, or if they have, I haven’t seen it. It scares me, though. That would be a long drop.



They’re like my children. I don’t have kids, but I have Rocco and Ozzie. I worry about them when I’m on the road. I have a pet sitter who checks on them and plays with them. When I was racing Sportsman, I would take them to the track, and they’d sit on the dash of the motorhome and people-watch.



A lot of people don’t expect me to like cats. Cats are really self-sufficient. I travel a lot and don’t really have to worry about them like you would a dog. They’re great companions. My friends warm up to them quickly even if they don’t like cats. They’re good to come home to.



It’s time to go pump some iron.



I travel to St. Louis on Thursday. We need to pick it up and try and get our lead back. I’m fired up to have CAT back on the car. Brandon is hot. I think "Baze" and the Matco team are due for some round-wins too.



Oh, by the way, my cylinder-head guy, Dick Jackson, loves peanut M&Ms, so if you happen to be in the grocery store, think of us! 8-)