RESCUING A KITTEN, Part 10 -- THANKFUL FOR ZOIE

Most of my blogs about Zoie, the kitten we rescued this summer, have been the story of what's happened since we adopted her and she adopted us.  And I'll continue with that in upcoming weeks.  But this week,  for Thanksgiving, I just have to blog how thankful we are that we found her and she found us.

So here are some of the reasons we are thankful for Zoie Joy:

My husband retired this year and it's been an adjustment!  As a writer I've been used to being alone all day and just talking to our cats London and Ebbie.  But Zoie has made this transition easier.  Taking care of her has bonded us in a way we'd forgotten about when our son was small.  Nuturing and sharing love has brought about renewal.  We have a common goal, a being to care for togetehr, a reason to enjoy each day more fully.

We have to thank Zoie for the many belly laughs--downright tear-rolling, can you believe she's doing that? kind of comedic entertainment.  Maybe you have to love animals to appreciate kitty antics, but smiling and laughing is great for the heart and soul.  From Zoie playing like a little imp with London to her new pastime of  watching TV, we're amused too many times to count!

Ebbie and London want to thank Zoie for their new lease on life.  They are more active again and seem in better health.  Maybe they're laughing under those whiskers, too.

I'm thankful that spending time petting and nurturing Zoie seems to relax me in a way nothing else can.  I heard somewhere that petting an animal lowers blood pressure.  I know I'm more calm and peaceful after she falls asleep in my lap or when she looks up at me with those big golden eyes.  And whether my husband will admit it or not, I think the same is true for him.

I've got to thank Zoie for making me feel like a mom again.  Our son is grown and more than half a country away.  Caring for a baby kitten definitely brought out my motherly instincts again.  Nurturing Zoie has brought back happy memories of the times when our son was two and we adopted a kitten who became his playmate, when we brought home Ebbie and London, when we watched all of their personalities develop as they became integral members of the family.

I have so much to be thankful and grateful for this year, not the least of which is a black kitten with tuxedo markings who has a hold on my heart.

Happy Thanksgiving!



©2012 Karen Rose Smith

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 
Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 
Karen Rose Smith's SEARCH FOR LOVE SERIES website 
IN TOUCH WITH KAREN ROSE SMITH ezine

 

 

ALWAYS HER COWBOY (Holiday Edition) on Amazon 

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

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 
Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

IN TOUCH WITH KAREN ROSE SMITH ezine

A new look for NATHAN'S VOW on Amazon

 

RESCUING A KITTEN, Part 1

We rescued a kitten this summer.  We love her to bits.  In my new mystery series, my heroine rescues strays.  Maybe what I visualized came true!  But I thought I'd write a blog on our rescue process because taking in a stray can be complicated and costly.  Maybe that's why more people are hesitant to do it.

This kitten was in a shrub, crying.  My husband and a friend found her when they were gardening.  But--and I think this is more a guy thing--they watched her run away.  So when they told me about the baby kitten who had been crying in a bush, I decided to try to find her.  It wasn't hard.  She was still in our backyard.

Tons of thoughts ran through my head.  We have two older cats who are eleven.  One has a territorial problem.  We had never thought about bringing in another kitten because of all the complications one could present.  I've had cats as companions all my life so I'm aware of their behaviors and physical problems as they grow older.  Taking in a kitten would be a big commitment.

However, as soon as my husband caught her and put her in my arms, I was pretty sure we'd figure out whatever we had to do.  She was a baby (about six weeks), hungry and thirsty and dehydrated on an almost 100 degree day.  First thing to do was feed her smooshed cat food with water mixed in.  She knew how to eat so we knew she'd been weaned.  After she ate, she curled up in my arms and fell asleep.  We have a sunroom with A/C and that's where I sat with her, holding her and stroking her.  My husband asked if this was where we were going to keep her and I responded, "For now."  He knew she'd be in the house eventually.  We'd bonded.

Still, I called a neighbor who lived on a farm to the rear of our yard and he knew nothing about the kitten.  After speaking to other neighbors, we realized no one was searching for a small black kitten.  In our area, passersby have dropped kittens before because we knew of other neighbors who took them in.  No one was claiming this one.

Her eyes were runny and I found flea dirt in her fur, which meant she had fleas even if I couldn't see them in her black fuz.  So the next thing I did was make an appointment with a veterinarian.  I couldn't get an appointment with our regular vet for three days, so I phoned a new vet in our area who our petsitter recommended.  I spoke with the receptionist about the kitten and they could get me in the next day.  The tech reminded me to feed her small amounts often with fresh water.  My husband went to the store for kitten food and readied a box with towels as a bed.  At first the kitten was disoriented and she urinated on the towel in the box.  Cats rarely soil where they sleep.  But as soon as she'd eaten two meals and had a nap, she used the nearby litter box and hasn't had an accident since.  Her mom taught her well.  I also think she was well-tended by her mom, groomed and played with because she liked the petting and stroking and was easy to handle.  She was a sweetie.  I held her for hours until she went to sleep, then fed her and repeated the whole process over again.

We also were careful about washing our hands thoroughly before going into the house with our other two cats.  I changed clothes each time because I was the one who handled all three cats.  We didn't know yet if the kitten had distemper or feline leukemia.  That's why a quick vet appointment was necessary.

More about the veterinarian visit, the cost and naming the new kitty in the next blog.


© 2012 Karen Rose Smith

Karen Rose Smith's Romance Website

Karen Rose Smith's Mystery Website

IN TOUCH with Karen Rose Smith e-zine