Curley gained confidence and was learning to relax — out from under the bed. They were still kept separated from Moe while swapping halves of the house. Perching on floor-to-ceiling cat trees ...

This period, in which the lineup consisted of Moe, Curly, and Larry, came to be known as the Curly years, in order to differentiate it from the years in which Curly was replaced with his brother ...

Moe, the 2-year-old feline interloper, passed his physical exam. Curley's was normal, too. But Larry? His gums were suffering nasty, long-standing infection. It even hurt when he laughed ...