Cat Boy and Ceecee

There are two other furry little persons who live in our apartment with us. Cat Boy is a piebald(black and white spots), polydactyl(way too many digits), neutered, American short-haired male cat. Ceecee(short for Cirrus cloud)is a white, medium-haired, spayed female with a grey streak between her ears.
These little feline people roam about at will, night and day, and sleep (when they feel like it) under my bed.
Cat Boy's front paws are known as the "mittens of death" Because of the six, huge talons hidden in each of those innocent looking paws. They do look exactly like fluffy mittens, that is, until he rakes them down the door frames leaving marks that would impress a Bengal tiger. Lucky for us, he is as sweet and docile as a critter can be. He's a lover, not a fighter and likes nothing better than having his ears, and the underside of his chin scratched. When an unfamiliar voice is heard at the door, he disappears into some dark corner or closet for several hours, until he is absolutely sure the interloper has gone. Cat Boy even endures the indignity of being bossed around by Rigby the Schnauzer mutt, with uncommon grace.
Not so his female counterpart! Ceecee's main defense is her fierce and nasty attitude. She rarely has to unsheath her claws, but she can bite like a cobra, with a hiss that would unhinge the ghostbusters. Rigby is a constant source of annoyance to her, but she takes none of the dog's crap, and Rigby has learned to cut a wide swath around her at all times.
All of these little beings were rescued. Thirteen years ago, Cat Boy lived under a dumpster down the street from us when we found him, and Ceecee turned up the following year, living in a local zoo, having been born in one of the animal cages. She was sent to an area shelter that I was volunteering for at the time, and that's how I found her. Rigby was adopted from another shelter, out in western Massachusetts by my daughter, when she was in her last year of college. The folly of that decision soon resulted in her coming to live here with us.
After the initial period of chaos, the cats drew closer together. All three seem to have settled in to living together in an uneasy truce. Somehow, it works.
I can't decide whether Cat Boy and Ceecee see each other as mates of some sort, or more like brother and sister now. I ponder this as I watch the gallant Cat Boy licking the grumpy Ceecee's head and ears, moments before he clamps his teeth over the scruff of her neck and the rumpus begins.