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It is true! I finally adopted a kitty cat and in time for our National Cat Day on October 29th, two years ago now. She is a brown short-haired tabby. She actually looks just like a small version of a Norwegian Forest Cat. Yes, a she, and she has had a litter of 4, already at just one year of age, and is spayed. We have now had a bit of time to get to know each other.
Rescues
I went through two or three rescues and found one not far from me named Cat’s Meow Cat Rescue. Friends gave this rescue the thumbs up! My new kitty is an adult and was living in a foster home with two of her sons. I only met with her once but on seeing her, I fell in love…LOL. The people who were taking good care of her were nice enough to give me a bit of time to arrange my place to benefit my new fur baby before bringing her to her new abode.
Preparation
The very first thing I did, was to rid my indoor space of plants that could be toxic to a feline…peace lily and a cactus. Next, I conquered my outdoor deck plants…there are quite a number.
So here I was, very busy trying to make space in my somewhat small living area to hold all of kitty cat’s toys, litter box, litter, carrier, bed, scratcher post, a nice window post, food and treats, and some necessary bath, grooming, and wellness goods.
Shopping / Rearranging
Shopping was quite fun for all of the above mentioned ‘must haves’ for my kitty. A couple of friends kindly presented me with some nice food toppers and a food mat for my new bud. And a couple of my neighbors were very helpful in moving furniture to accommodate my incoming fur buddy.
Josie was to join my Nerite snail, Tigger, who lives in a five-gallon fish tank. I thought it best to get a cover for Tigger’s tank lest kitty get too curious about her. Tigger is now over 7 years old, and once upon a time she had dwarf African frogs as roomies…wasn’t sure she would notice a cat.
Care Resources
It was time to order an ID Tag and collar and set a vet appointment. From my research on felines, I have some excellent resources to rely on for information. Tufts Catnip newsletters I use for care tips. Also Maddies Fund comes in very handy, as well as Pet Age and their annual Cat Guide. Pet MD is another good information site. In addition to those organizations, I have friends and neighbors who have kitties of their own from whose experience I have already benefited a great deal.
So, all in all, I was feeling confident to become a new pet parent to an adult tabby cat. Of course two years old is still quite young in my estimation. Guess I didn’t mention her age before, so now you know. And this September my girl already reached the four-year-old mark.
Questions
Some questions still needed answering: her dental care, and shedding degree came to mind. And the name of her veterinarian was good to know.
I am sharing with you an adorable picture of Josie on the back of my sofa at the beginning of this post, one of her fav perches. Some fun facts in her new surroundings and our interaction are coming up next. It had been quite some time since I had a fur friend…yes, I was excited to welcome her.
Two Years Later
It was quite a getting-to-know-you time with Josie. She started out hiding under my bed. But it didn’t take a lot of time for her to investigate and find some great resting spots especially her window perch right next to my tall cedar tree with squirrels and birds to watch. Then I installed a cat tree with several perches where she felt quite safe. Now it has been scratched to pieces in many places, even tho she has a special scratcher box to use!
It took not even a day to find her walk-in litter box. She had a bare spot just by her nose and I ordered wound treatment to remedy it from Vetericyn. It is just now getting close to growing hair to cover it. She learned early on to lead me into the bath every morning for our a.m. rituals where she is brushed with warm water…I guess she likes it!
We did have a few rough spots though. She didn’t like me going to bed when she still wanted to play but we have now moved on and are pretty use to each other’s moods and habits. She did not like her pretty green vest or my attaching her leash to it and still does not. She will walk with me inside but will not venture outside the front door after all this time still. She has discovered the deck which is now her best fav place for watching birds and what all. She even has her own pet tent to rest inside out there.
Going to the vet is a chore. It takes pills hidden in her food and picking her up before she sees me coming to be put in her stroller and/or her carrier. Josie had three homes by the age of 2 so my best guess is that she has a phobia of ”leaving home”. But we are going to conquer and get her walking a little outside this next year!
She loves her Blue Buffalo wet and dry foods and her Pet Honesty and Greenie Dental treats. She does get Pet Honesty dental powder hidden…mashed into her wet food in the a.m. with plenty of ‘gravy’ so it will blend with the rest of her food…that seems to be working and her teeth are looking good. She gets ‘gravy’ always to increase her water intake, even though she has a water fountain. I don’t know how much water she actually drinks from it…she uses it as a toy much of the time.
Josie loves to hide and jump out at me or her toys…her favorite play time, other than running from window to window when she sees animals outside. She has become my little character who sleeps beside me in her chair when I am on the computer and stands on my arm rest meowing at me if I take too long in her eyes. She loves her igloo type Australian wool bed on my bed but if I sleep longer than she likes I will get woken with kisses and with ‘move’ insists.
At present we are quite content together…at least most of the time when we are in agreement!! LOL!!
See more USA-made pet products for your kitty or your wanna-be kitty on my post, “Celebrate National Cat Day-Tips for a happy Feline”.
If you have a kitty or are considering rescuing one, let us have your comments and suggestions for more feline posts. And, if you are going to rescue a cat, see my post on Adoption Questions.
Pet Food Recall Notices
Remember to periodically check out our FDA.org site for info on current pet food recalls to safeguard your animals.
Funny Animal Videos
Compliments of Big Geek Daddy, enjoy the following:
- A dog who rides the bus on his own –
- A dog who really, really wants a kitty –
- The world’s most talented cat.
Thanks
I hope you enjoyed hearing about my rescue kitty. Come back next week for more good pet fun and do feel free to leave us your comments. Please ‘subscribe’ to my posts so you do not miss any pet facts and excellent tips to benefit your best pet friends. We would love it if you spread the word about Pet Viewpoint to your pet-loving friends on social media too. See you next week!