Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Sam and Salomon

On July 3rd I adopted Sam (now Gunner) and Salomon (now Oscar). I had only planned on adopting 1 kitten, but when I saw them I knew I'd be taking both of them home. I couldn't decide between them and couldn't break up the set.

They're wonderful, fun, and loving kitties and I'm glad to have them both. They didn't seem to have any trouble adjusting to their new home. My 2 year old Jasper took to them right away and loves playing with them (and they him). My 6 year old Shadow isn't as enthusiastic, but she's doing quite well compared to when I brought Jasper home.

I thought I'd let you know that they're healthy and happy.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Soleil & Twinkle

This past Spring we lost one of our sweet kitties of 11 years to congestive heart failure. His feline brother and the rest of our family was heartbroken. Life has not been the same without him.

In May while visiting PetSmart we had the chance to meet and play with some sweet kitties.
Not long after, Soleil Raindrop (formerly Chimmy) and Twinkle Moondance (formerly Cinder) joined our family. They are our sunshine after the rain. Their unending energy and antics and sweet love and purrs continue to give our family... especially myself and their feline brother, Zazu, great comfort.

There are fewer things that bring me greater joy than the purr of a sweet cat (or three!) curled up on my lap while I read... or seeing them all hunt the birds at the bird feeder (through the window of course!) ... or watching my 11 year old kitty once again run like the wind down our hallway while the two new little ones chase after him!

It is amazing how such small creatures can fill such a large spot in your heart. And what is even more amazing is how there is always room for one more! Thank you Camp Companion for taking such great care of Cinder & Chimmy while they were with you. They have quickly become a part of our family... and we love them more each and every day!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

My Kitties

I adopted Syd and Francis (formerly Oscar and Felix) from Camp Companion at PetsMart this past June. They came from a foreclosed home with 85 cats! I knew they were for me when I heard about their story and played with them at PetsMart. Francis was very playful while Syd wanted to curl up and hide behind me. I knew they had great potential to be very nice kitties. Being just 23 years old and moving into my own place, I knew I could give them the love and attention they needed to trust people again.

They both had some teeth problems and needed treatment with antibiotics, and they loved it when I mixed the antibiotics in with canned food. Both cats were very shy at first but they have adjusted to their new home very well. They still get timid with sudden movements or strange noises but they have made great improvements. They even come out to see visitors now!

Syd (formerly Oscar) loves to snuggle and curl up right next to me. He also likes to meow and talk to me very often.

Francis (formerly Felix) is my playful boy. He loves to roll around on the floor and jump all over Syd. Although he's not much of a snuggler, he loves attention and gets jealous if Syd is getting attention and he's not.

Thank You Camp Companion!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Max aka Cubby

We found Max (AKA "Cubby") at PetCo when we were shopping for cat litter. He was such a sweetie, we couldn't resist asking him to join our family. He spent the first week underneath my daughter's bed in utter terror--this new world was very frightening to him. But before long he started to venture out of the bedroom. He now runs the house and is afraid of nothing. The other two adult cats took to him rather quickly and at any given time, one of them is chasing the other throughout the house. The deliberate pounding of their feet has come to be known as "thunder paw." Our favorite picture of Max is the one where he is peeking out from the interior of the Christmas tree. He thought it was the ultimate kitty play toy: a climbing pole complete with lights, swinging ornaments, and dangling sparkly things. What cat wouldn't love it?

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Seven

We fell in love with Seven (AKA Juniper) the minute we saw her on one of the Camp Companion Adoption days. However, we had a 12 year old cat at home and weren't sure how that cat would adapt to having a kitten in the house. Well, it turned out great. She took on a motherly role with Seven. Our old 13 year old cat also tries to keep up with Seven and doesn't do too bad for her age.

In one of the pictures, you can see that Seven has had a broken end of her tail which is why we named her Seven. It looks like a 7 when she holds her tail up.

She is full of energy and very entertaining. One morning we woke up to all of our paper towel rolled out in the kitchen and dining room. She was so cute that we couldn't get mad. However, we had to switch to cloth towels!!!

She is a great addition to the family!!

Suki and Sahara

I thought I would give an update on my two girls. I got them on July 5, 2009. They were estimated to have been born in April of that year.

On a sad morning in June, Anya my beloved friend for 10 years, passed away. I was not sure at first whether I should get another pet after she had passed but I missed having someone else in the house. Anya, while not the friendliest kitty to anyone else, was my grey shadow so my new babies had big (figuratively and literally) shoes to fill.

Suki (the black torti) is quite the little diva. I think she must have some siamese because of the shape of her features and body and the way she likes to talk. Suki has a comment on everything and she loves to share that with me. She is extremely loving and wants to be pet as much as she can and is my new shadow as she follows me everywhere in the house.

Sahara (the pretty tabby) is Suki's opposite. She is so quiet and calm but she is also one smart cat. When trouble is afoot and they are into things they shouldn't be, I know Sahara was the ringleader. Sahara loves to explore and chasing toy mice is one of her joys along with climbing up EVERYTHING including the walls. She may act a bit crazy at times but Sahara is also a snuggler and loves to be held and will have such a big purr for such a tiny girl.

They have both settled in quite nicely and there is no denying that they now rule the roost. They love playing together and hold regular races and wrestling matches in the downstairs living room.

I'm extremely glad I brought these two girls home. They have two extremely different personalities but like yin and yang, they complement each other so well and I am lucky to have been able to give them a forever home.

Friday, February 19, 2010

An update on Raisin, now named Zea May

Hi Michele,

I thought you might want to hear that little Raisin, now named Zea May (after the Latin name for corn) is now nearly grown up.  She now weighs a bit over 6 pounds, which is the smallest cat I've ever had, but she is healthy and active and has a nice glossy coat.  She must have some Siamese in her family tree, as she is so slinky, with really long legs and tail.  She has mostly outgrown the "nursing" although she still does it about once a day but only for a minute or less.

It did take a long time for her digestive track to settle down.  After treating her for hookworms and giardia with little benefit, we stumbled upon a treatment that uses digestive enzymes.  It worked so well, we shared it with our vet and thought you might benefit from this info too.  This is a safe and low cost treatment and our vet was impressed.  The link is: http://ezinearticles.com/?Natural-Treatment-For-Giardia&id=1925644

After introducing her gradually to the outdoors under supervision, we now let her use her cat door during the day.  Zea has become quite a hunter, which is what we had hoped for.  She sleeps mostly at night and has settled into the routine of having her door opened each morning so she can go in and out and in and out and in and out........

Anyway, just wanted to let you know our furry little bundle of fun is enjoying life with us, hopefully as much as we're enjoying her.  Keep up the great work you're doing.

Thanks again,
Larisa Walk & Bob Dahse

P.S.  One day you were on KTTC's Pet of the Week and Zea may have recognized your voice, as she stared at the TV while you were talking (or maybe she was looking at the cat you were holding).  Wish she could tell us.


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