Lora Lee Resident Kitties
Read about the Kracken kitties, Cat House kitties, and Panda
Introducing you to my clowder of rescue cats is important and necessary. Knowing them and their personalities, which creates a variety of issues and situations, is where I get my inspiration. However, with 19 rescue cats it will be easier to break them into groups. 4 groups to be exact – the “Resident” Kitties, the “Kracken” kitties, the “Cat House” kitties & Panda. There is a reason why the rescue cats are sorted into these groups. Today, we will start with the “Resident” kitties.
The 6 Resident kitties range in age from 4 years to 13 years. They are all rescues and 4 of the 6 are black. Let’s start with the old men.
Sloopy
Soon to be 13, Sloopy was found on Craigslist in 2009. He was this cute little grey tabby kitten. On the day that we found him, we were waiting to hear about our adoption application for an unnamed black kitty. We decided that 2 kittens were better than 1, so we went to pick up Sloopster and brought him to his furever home.
Since the first day, he has provided us with lots of entertainment and even more challenges. He does not believe in the phrase “curiosity killed the cat”. He is the climber and jumper. This kitty has serious FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). I do believe that he was a chef in a past life. He always must be involved in cooking meals. We tried for years to break him from getting on the counters when we cooked. It was a fruitless effort. He never tried to mess with any of the food. He just wanted to sit there and judge our cooking skills. So, we eventually relented and allowed him to supervise our cooking.
A lover people, he never meets a stranger. This cat loves a good lap and is not truly happy unless he is touching some part of your body. He is my constant sleep buddy, either sleeping on or up against me. Unfortunately, he is also our only cat that still, after 13 years, will exhibit inappropriate marking from time to time. This usually happens when he is stressed about something.
Franklin
Born just a few months before Sloopy, Franklin is the other old man. I adopted him for my husband in 2009 after his beloved cat, Stella, crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He is a fluffy black cat who had a snotty nose on the day we went to PetSmart to look for kittens. I knew instantly that he was coming home with us. My husband pointed out his snotty nose and I responded that was exactly why we were choosing him. Black cats are the least likely to be adopted, especially one that has a snotty nose. So, we put in our application and went home to wait for approval.
The next day, we brought Franklin home to meet his new brother. His snotty nose cleared up, but he occasionally develops a little kitty cold with sneezing and snot. When they flare up, I increase his supplements to knock them out. This sweet baby also has a sensitive tummy. Certain foods will cause a diarrhea flare up. This had been a constant issue for most of his life. We have since eliminated those flare ups with a change to a raw diet.
He is a chill cat with some cute little quirks such as: not a fan of new people and will retreat to the bedroom if he hears an unfamiliar voice, not a 24/7 lap cat but is demanding when he wants some love and pets. He can be vocal when he wants something with his choice of sound being a “mer” rather than a “meow”, hence giving him the nickname of Mer Kitty. A baseball player in a past life who loves a good game of fetch. He loves to fetch those balls with the bell inside. He will carry it around while mer-ing wanting you to throw it. “I’m a funny old man.”
Bodie
Next up is Bodie. My Bodie Bear. We found Bodie at a rest stop in 2015. We were coming home from our honeymoon at the OBX and stopped at the rest stop in Plymouth, NC. There was a scraggly kitten eating a cheeseburger that someone tossed out. I looked at my husband and he said no. Upon returning to the car, I told my husband that I COULD NOT leave a kitten at a rest stop eating a cheeseburger. I told him that I would find him a home before we got home. Needless to say, he had already found his home. Bodie spent the first few months of his time with us in our guest bathroom. He had some severe explosive butt issues and we worked hard with our vet to get it under control. His nickname then was Captain Poopy Butt. He has since outgrown that nickname.
Bodie is a 7-year-old Maine Coon mix. He has multiple personalities. Think of a Sour Patch Kid. First, they are sour; then, they are sweet. He likes to scale door frames while making these weird chirping noises. Carries his prey, also known as cat toys, in his mouth while meowing. He must show off his “catch”. Bodie has been providing us with some challenges for the past 6 months. His BFF, Monti, crossed the Rainbow Bridge last August and Bodie has started to demonstrate some bullying towards the other cats. Bodie and Monti were wrestling buddies. They were members of WCW (World Cat Wrestling). Bodie wants another wrestling buddy. None of the other cats are interested in WCW. So, play time turns into Fight Club. We are working on different techniques and supplements to help Bodie Bear not be a Bully Bear.
Hemingway
Next is Hemingway. My sweet boy. Hemingway, along with his 2 brothers, was born to one of the Cat House cats in 2017. Those three were the first of my rescue cats from that colony. He was going to move to Ohio to live with my mother-in-law, but once there, he decided he did not want to be a Buckeye. His brother, Salem, was happy to be a Buckeye and moved in with my sister-in-law and her family. Hemingway came back to NC to live with us and his brother, Monti, along with my other 3 rescue cats.
Hemingway is a long-haired black cat. He has the softest, sweetest meow. He does have a toe fetish and will nibble on any toes that are exposed. His favorite things include Zoomies, especially after exiting the litter box, wand toys, attacking the old men, sleeping in one of the many cat trees and snuggles. He will get in my lap and start to make biscuits and suckle on my shirt. He has done this since he was a kitten. I know for a fact that he was not taken from his mom too early. It is just something that he does. Hemingway is our low maintenance cat. One could say that he is the perfect cat.
Emmet
Now, Emmet. Where to begin with Emmet? There will be another post on Emmet’s story. But, for now, Emmet is another one of the rescue cats born to one of the 2 Cat House mommas in 2018. I am not sure which one is his mom because all the kittens were black, and the mommies gave birth on the exact same day within an hour apart. It was also the same day that I was trying to trap them to have them TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return). So, within an hour, I had 11 new kittens that I was now responsible for. When they were ready to be weaned, I captured all 11 kittens and moved them into my bonus room to start socializing and finding them forever homes. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma against black cats, and I only found homes for 2 of the kittens.
That left me with 9 Kracken kitties (more on the Kracken kitties in Part 2). Shortly after Emmet’s 1st birthday, he started showing signs of FIP (Feline infectious Peritonitis) (more on FIP to come). A good resource for this FIP is ZenByCat. FIP is a deadly disease that I had just recently dealt with when his brother, Captain Flint, passed from a few months prior. I worked very hard with Emmet’s vet to ensure that he survived. And survive he did! After moving Emmet up to “Resident” kitty mode, changing his diet and adding supplements, Emmet’s most recent blood work was outstanding. All his levels are normal. We have now lowered his dosage of prednisone with hopes to be able to stop all together. My little boy is a healthy mini panther who has seem to beat FIP!
Prudence
Finally, Prudence. Prudence is the most recent cat to move from Kracken kitty to Resident kitty. Prudence may/may not be one of Emmet’s siblings. She was born in 2018 to one of the Cat House mommas and was the runt of the litter and has stayed small. At one point, we thought that she was exhibiting signs of FIP like her 2 brothers. A couple of visits to the vet later, we determined that she just does not like her siblings. I repeat, she DOES NOT like her siblings. At all! They started bullying her.
As a result, Prudence became very reclusive and stopped grooming. After being upstairs for about 4months, we have started to see improvements. However, she came up with an attitude and hissed and growled at everyone, especially Bodie. She was used to having to protect and defend herself with her siblings and she brought that mentality upstairs with her. We are slowly getting adjusted.
Prudence is transitioning to a raw diet. We have stopped feeding her dry food. She eats wet food and freeze dried raw, along with her supplements. She is not a lap cat. Isn’t really interested in a lot of playing, although she does get these random bouts of play. This little girl is very vocal about food. She will meow insistently until you place the food in front of her. She likes to make laps around the kitchen island, meowing; at least until she meets up with Bodie, then her meows turn to growls and hisses as she passes him. It has been a challenge to improve her confidence and help her find her place as a Resident kitty. We still have a way to go with my Pru Pru. My little Prudence Girlfriend.
And that is Part 1 of Meet My Clowder. We still have 13 more rescue cats to go. Be sure to look for Part 2 and meet the Kracken Kitties. There will be many more posts about these guys, as well as the other 13. They have all taught me something new about cats and myself. Animals are excellent teachers if you pay attention.
“I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.”
― Hippolyte A. Taine
