RESCUING A KITTEN, Part 11 -- EBBIE

Ebbie Having a Peaceful Moment

I have to tell you Ebbie's story so you know how close she and I are.  Twelve years ago, the week before Christmas and a few days before my birthday, I picked up an advance reading copy of one of my novels from a friend whose family had a farm and I saw Ebbie.  My husband picked her up and I looked into her eyes and I felt...something deep.  I'd lost my mom a few years before and was still having a hard time.  We had a cat at home who was suffering with hypothyroidism and required a lot of care.  Ebbie--though she didn't have that name yet--was about 8-10 weeks old...and sick.  I found it hard to leave the farm that day.  It snowed that night and all I could think about was that little black cat.

There are times when your heart won't take "no" for an answer.  This was one of those times.  I decided I'd keep Ebbie in an upstairs bedroom for as long as I had to.  Two days later, I picked her up at the farm and took her to the veterinarian.  I spent most of my days and nights with her, holding her, massaging her sinuses so she could breathe and generally visualizing her well again.  She had a cough along with the rest and no meow to speak of.  Right away she came when I called, even to take her medicine.  After two courses of antibiotics, she still wasn't "well," so I took her to a holistic vet and put her on a special diet.  The cough and cold went away and her coat became thick and shiny.  She was my constant companion.  After we had to have our other cat put to sleep, Ebbie never left my side.  I have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.  On the days when the pain was the worst, she was right there in tune with what was going on, giving comfort when she could.  A few months later, we adopted Ebbie's half sister--London--so she'd have a playmate.

London -- Ebbie's Half Sister

 
All those years ago, Ebbie was a special birthday and Christmas present who I'm grateful for every day.  She's affectionate, loving and sweet.  When we adopted Zoie this summer, I was worried about Ebbie most of all because the virus she had when we brought her home was recessive and could reappear with stress.  Zoie has been a definite stress for her.  But...

A Stressful Moment For Ebbie--Compliments of Zoie!

Who says older cats can't accept change?

More next week about how far Zoie and Ebbie have come and the joy Zoie, Ebbie and London bring us.


©2012 Karen Rose Smith

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RESCUING A KITTEN, Part 9, Zoie and London's friendship

 ONE OF ZOIE JOY'S PLAYFUL MOMENTS

In the last blog, I wrote about training a kitten.  We've been loving and training Zoie Joy since we rescued her last summer.  She's a smart kitty, maybe because of her hunter instincts.  Although her mommy took good care of her, taught her the basics and weaned her, we believe Zoie was living in the wild and got separated from her family in the wild.

Training Zoie not to bite and scratch went well with constant reinforcement and a resolute "no."  Some cats recoil and stop unwanted behaviors when their owner uses a water spray bottle as negative reinforcement.  That didn't faze Zoie in the least!  Maybe she was used to rain.  If you remember, when we bathed her, she didn't struggle at all and the bath went smoothly.  But other training didn't happen as we'd hoped concerning integrating her with London, our big gray female tabby and Ebbie, another kitty rescued eleven years ago who owns my heart.  Ebbie and I have a special bond.

Once we went through a few weeks of partial integration, we began letting the three of them relate during the day.  Zoie went back to my office and her safe places there to spend the night.  We created a routine with her.  As my husband finished some nighttime chores, I'd toss colorful mice with her and play with her at the wheel.  When my husband finished in the rest of the house, he'd come in, feed Zoie and then we would cuddle her and say goodnight.  When she heard the ping of dry food in her dish, she ran to it.  That's when we would leave.  She never cried when we did it this way.  Cats like ritual and knowing what comes next as much as their human parents.  In the morning, my hubby would feed Zoie in the office while I fed Ebbie and London in the kitchen.  (Zoie would go after their food).  But after they were all fed, we'd open the office door into the kitchen, call "Zoie's coming" to warn Ebbie and london, and off she'd go.

 ZOIE PLAYING WITH HER WHEEL

Today I'll talk about her interaction with London.  From the outset, London let her know who was boss.  London's best napping place is upstairs in my husband's office.  Ebbie doesn't venture in there unless I do.  She stays mostly downstairs, especially in the first floor bedroom.  But Zoie considers the whole house as hers and tries to be everywhere all at once.  For eating and napping, she finds me and my husband.  But the rest of the time, she wants to play.  London is also eleven, in her sixties in human years.  Zoie is a playful child who wouldn't and won't let London alone.  From the beginning, however, she soon learned from London what her boundaries were.  When London would growl and hiss and swat, Zoie would back off.  At first, London would just watch Zoie and maybe shake her head in annoyed tolerance.  But after about three months,  they actually began to play together.

LONDON REFLECTING ON LIFE BEFORE ZOIE

 Sometimes the thunder in the house sounds like a giant storm.  But it's just Zoie chasing London or London chasing Zoie up and down the stairs, around the upstairs hall, sliding on the throw rugs or playing in and out of the banister rungs.  At times, while London sits on the printer looking out the window, Zoie will dance around her, paw at her or just sit with her.  This week we had real progress--London and Zoie napping on the bed together.  It's a mommy-moment only true animal lovers can appreciate.  They are becoming friends.

ZOIE AND LONDON'S "MOMMY-MOMENT" 

 
Last time I mentioned I'd discuss flower essences.  But those came into play with Zoie's interaction with Ebbie.  More the next time. 



©2012 Karen Rose Smith

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RESCUING A KITTEN, Part 5

 A CURIOUS ZOIE

To catch up from the past few blogs...

Zoie had two veterinarian visits and took over my office as her living quarters.  It was already kitty-proofed from Ebbie and London.  While Ebbie had no contact with Zoie, although we washed our hands constantly, Ebbie's eye began to run though Zoie's were clearing.  The vet prescribed L-lysine for both, determining they had the Feline Herpes Virus in their systems.  The best management technique was to limit stress and give the antiviral treatment L-lysine.  This was the first time Ebbie was under this kind of stress since we adopted her.

ZOIE'S SWEET BIG "SISTER" EBBIE

Ebbie took liquid medicine easily as the sick baby we brought home on a snowy day.  But now she's particular.  She can always taste it in her food or smell it and will have nothing to do with it.  When she had digestive problems a few years ago and the vet prescribed a quarter of a crushed Pepcid, she did accept that in a dab of Reddi-Wip.  A few months ago Ebbie hurt her back and the vet recommended pet variety glucosamine.  I use heavy cream, whip it and empty some of the capsule into it.  As long as I don't go overboard, she eats it.

I didn't have to be concerned about Zoie taking medicine, especially in food form.  She gobbled up the L-lysine snacks.  But Ebbie wouldn't try them.  So we got an alternate choice--L-lysine gel and I mixed that in the whipped cream.  Success.  Ebbie didn't seem to smell or taste that.  I also started mixing a few of the L-lysine snack pieces with her food at night.  They were a different color from her food so I could tell if she was eating them.  Slowly, one piece started disappearing and then another.  London doesn't eat out of that dish, so I could keep my eye on exactly who was eating what.  Both were on the road to recovery, yet I know that the Feline Herpes Virus can never be cured...just managed.

Zoie's digestive problems cleared up with the anti-inflammatory medication the vet prescribed, but her second test for round worms was still positive.  Thank goodness we'd kept the cats separated.  So we had to worm her again.  When those results were clear after our third vet visit--she received her last vaccination that time--we could start to integrate our family.  (This was over a month after finding Zoie in our backyard.) During the time Zoie was in my office, Ebbie and London knew another cat was in the house.  London would sit by the closed door, watching it.  Ebbie was still trying to deny what she was hearing and scenting and it was obviously stressing her out. She was afraid without knowing what she was afraid of.

 A PLAYFUL ZOIE

We had used an introduction technique when Ebbie and London were babies that I detail in my mystery.  (My amateur sleuth takes in stray animals and finds them homes.)  When we introduced London to Ebbie over eleven years ago, this is how we did it.  Ebbie was upstairs.  We brought in London in her carrier and set her in my office.  Then we went upstairs with Ebbie, let her out of the bedroom and went downstairs with her to "find" London.  Ebbie smelled around her carrier for about a half hour.  With no adverse reaction, she seemed ready to meet her new sister.  We let London out, they began chasing each other, then settled near each other looking out the window.  Easy, right?  They were both kittens with about six months age difference.  They were also half sisters.

A SLEEPY LONDON

I was excited as the time came to introduce Ebbie and London to Zoie.  After we got the all-clear from the vet on Zoie, we put her in her carrier and set her in the kitchen, a central location.  That day London walked up to the carrier and realized a cat was inside.  She hissed and ran.  Ebbie heard Zoie's meows, went to her steps by the window without even being tempted by going to the kitchen, curled into a ball with her head on her paws and wouldn't come down.

Maybe not so easy this time!

More of the kitty integration next week.

I'd love to hear your cat introduction stories.  Feel free to comment and share.


©2012 Karen Rose Smith

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