Lora Lee 
The past few months have been pretty crazy in The DFE Household. 2023 has been a good year, so far, but it has been a very busy and hectic one. Between the multiple responsibilities of my teacher life, along with the multiple responsibilities of my cat mom life and keeping up my blog and all that goes with it, I have felt like my life has been passing by in a blur. I felt like this was a good time to slow down and provide with an update on all of the babies. So, let’s catch up with The DFE and her clowder of cats.
The Gremlins
We will start with the newest members of the clowder, The Gremlins – Lily Bell & Cactus. Easter weekend will be a year that I trapped them along with their mom and older brother. If you have been following me for a while, you know that I had absolutely no intention of keeping these kittens. I was going to foster them and find them loving homes. Well, the best laid plans.
Because Bodie was expressing his grief of losing his BFF, Monti, through aggression, we decided that we would see if he bonded with one of the kittens. Hoping that if he had a new bestie, then maybe he wouldn’t feel so angry. After multiple meeting and playing sessions, Bodie didn’t seem to gravitate towards either one more than the other. He loved them both! Of course, he did. Then, it was my husband, not me, who mentioned that maybe we shouldn’t separate them because they were bonded. I want to reiterate that it was my husband who did not want to separate them. So, The Gremlins stopped being fosters and turned into foster fails. And boy have they been keeping everyone, humans and felines, on their toes.
Total Opposite Sisters
Lily is the absolute sweetest little girl. She is playful and loves her mom. She seriously has the loudest purr that vibrates her entire body. Her little tail does this cute little twitching whenever she knows it is treat time. When she is on my lap and wants to sleep, Lily will go around and around in a circle, like a dog, trying to find the perfect spot. My Lily Bell is just so precious. And then we have Cactus.
Cactus is hell on four paws, plain and simple. If there is something for her to get into, she will. The absolute most mischievous cat with zero regrets about anything that she does. It is her world, and we are just lucky that she is allowing us to live in it. Cactus wants what she wants, when she wants it and is not afraid to take it. Complete opposite of her sister. Although we were not looking to add 2 more cats to our home, we would not trade them for anything.
Finding Some Peace & Harmony – Finally!
Since we had to move Zazzles upstairs when he almost died from severe anemia, the whole dynamics among the cats changed. Even though everyone knew each other, a battle for Top Cat started between Zazzles, Bodie and Hemingway. It has been a battle to bring back peace and harmony into our house since October. We have gotten a lot better over the past couple of months, but not quite living in peaceful bliss yet.
Through it all, I have realized that the aggression that has been happening is stemming from fear. Zazzles, Bodie, and Hemingway are all afraid of each other. In the wild, fear is a sign of weakness. It is safer to be thought of as a mean bully. I don’t need, or expect them to all be snuggle buddies, but I do need to feel comfortable to leave them all out together when I am not at home. We have some really good days, where everyone is coexisting together. And then, we have a setback. It has been a challenge to bring peace back to the clowder.
I have pulled out all the tricks and tools that I have in my Cat Care Toolbelt. We have been using color therapy and herb gardens from Naturally Cats. All three cats have been getting Jackson Galaxy’s Solutions. There has been lots of positive reinforcements and affirmations, constantly telling them that they are safe and loved. Most recently, I have added hydrosols to my arsenal. On the recommendation of Nyana Morag from Essential Animals, I started off with Peppermint, Frankincense, and Chamomile. It has been absolutely fascinating to watch them self-select the hydrosol that they need. Chamomile has been to most chosen of the three. Some will just lie beside the dish, while others will give the hydrosol water some laps.
Emmet the Enigma
Emmet has been having monthly visits with his amazing vet. He is still putting his weight back on. His mass of unknown origin is no longer able to be felt at all. The vet is absolutely amazed at his progress. Although he is still on steroids, he is on the smallest dosage and now only gets it every other day. My silly, playful Emmet has returned, and I am absolutely over the moon happy about it.
This handsome mini panther has been through so much in his 4 years of life. It warms my heart to see him back to the way he was before we discovered the mass. I am hoping that we will be able to lower his steroid dosage even more, although I am not sure if we will ever be able to completely stop it. But we don’t call Emmet the enigma for nothing, so who knows.
Finally, Sloopy!
I haven’t talked about Sloopy a lot. That is because Sloopy is generally not a problem. He is, now, our oldest cat at 14 years old and is the stereotypical grumpy cat. He has perfected the “I hate everything” face. Not impressed with The Gremlins, and definitely not impressed with Zazzles at all. Sloopy is perfectly happy keeping his position as resident lap cat. Not concerned with anything as long as he gets his food and treats and is able to sleep attached to my hip at night. As long as he gets those three things, then he is content and tolerant of the chaos that the others are creating.
Until Next Time…
So, that is my update. Of course, there are still The Kracken Kitties and The Cat House Cats to catch up on. But we can save that for another day. Caring for 18 cats is definitely a challenge. I take pride in the care that I provide for my babies. They deserve to have the happiest and healthiest life possible. And I worked hard to give them that life. Finding new ways to add to their quality of life has become a passion for me. These amazing souls deserve nothing less for the joy and happiness that they bring to my life every day. And maybe a few gray hairs. But I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I have felt cats rubbing their faces against mine and touching my cheek with claws carefully sheathed. These things, to me, are expressions of love.” – James Herriot
