Zoe Issues

We adopted Zoe and Zac from a local animal shelter about 3 years ago.  One of the cats has been peeing in the carpet on and off since the beginning.  I've always blamed Zac.  Well, now I am pretty sure the culprit has been Zoe the entire time.  The kittens we were fostering this summer gave us more than fun cuddles and silly play times, they also gave Zoe Giardia.  If you don't know what that is, it's an intestinal parasite.  She started having diarrhea in the pan thankfully and peeing on the carpet.  We took her to the vet and she spent 2 weeks living locked in our spare room while taking the medicine.  She was fine for a week or so and then she started pooping right outside the kitty litter pan and peeing in the same spot in the carpet.  I went to the vet as a last ditch effort before we found her another home because nothing I had done worked.  The vet put her on an anti-anxiety medicine and gave us some other steps to try and get her using the kitty litter pan again.  She's spent another few weeks in the spare room and so far so good.  She's allowed to come out in the day when we are home.  Zoe has always been a sweet cat, but not very friendly.  She wants to be.  She will sit in the room with us, but she's always a few feet away from anyone.  Well, I don't know if it's the medicine that's chilled her out or being locked away for so long, but she's been getting in my lap.  She purrs while I pet her and takes a little nap before going on her way.  I like this Zoe, but if she pees or poops in the carpet again, she's out of here!!!

PS Please ignore the highlighting.  I can't figure out how to turn it off in the post without starting over and I'm not starting over.

Waking Up Sore

My back has been so sore lately. I wake up feeling like I've been sleeping on a 20 year old mattress. Dan discovered the reason last night. I sleep on my stomach and it seems that our 13 pound cat, Zac, has started sleeping on my back at night. Dan came to bed late last night and said Zac was stretched out on his side right on top of me. No wonder I wake up hurting all over. Crazy cat. When we adopted him, I said I wanted a cat that would snuggle with me, but that's not quite what I had in mind!

The Joys of Being a Cat

Wouldn't you love to be able to relax and sleep like this even when a whirlwind of kids were going crazy around you!

A Kitty Snappie

Zac has a cat bed he sleeps in on Caden's bed during nap time. Zoe never goes in the bed. Well, today, she was sacked out in it when we went up for nap. We put Zac on the bed thinking he'd nudge Zoe out, but he climbed in and layed on top of her to join her. 5 minutes later, they were still there when I'd found my camera! I love my kitties!

Cat Naps

Because they are so sweet...

The Cat Gate

This post is for Dan. He couldn't believe I hadn't shared it and now that I think about it, I can't either.

We have a gate to block off our upstairs stairwell at night. It hasn't been a problem with our cat, Zoe, because she's tiny. She slips right through the rungs. Zack is not so tiny (about double Zoe) and he doesn't fit. If he gets caught upstairs, he can jump over the gate to get down, but he can't come back up again. I want him to be able to snuggle with us at night, so I've been brainstorming ways to fix the gate. Caden and I went to Lowes today for the necessary supplies and made a "cat door" in the gate. What do you think? And since this is about the cats. Here's a picture of them. They are sleeping nearby each other now and are rolling and playing like they've always been together.

Enjoying the Sunshine

I think this is a sweet picture. Zack has settled right into our household. He even has his favorite sleeping spots already.
I bought this Hibiscus in October. The lady at the farmer's market promised me it was hardy enough to make it through the winter and she was right. It's a dinner plate hibiscus and is about 8" across. This was our first bloom on it.

A Middle of the Night Visitor

Our new Zacky is the sweetest kitty. He hasn't made it to my lap without help, but he will come and stretch out right beside me on the couch. He slept on my feet for several hours last night. I had to get up with Allie and when I got back into bed, Zack came up by my face to visit. He laid down with his head on my pillow and his paw on my arm like "here I am, pet me." It was so sweet and just what I want in a kitty - a snuggle bug. With just a little bit of time, Zack might become as good of a snuggle bug as Sebastian (before he stopped liking me).

Kitty Play

After going through several names for our new big guy, we have decided to call him Zack. Zoe and Zack - cute, no? He has already become the Zackster, Zack-aroo and Zack-a-roni to me.

The first night, Zoe and Zack were up all night following each other around. There were several rounds of batting at each other. It was definitely playful. Yesterday, they were close together all day. Today, I've seen each pounce on the other, but no actual back and forth play has happened yet. I bet it will soon. Right now, they are sleeping about a foot apart underneath my bed. I keep laughing at the three day plan the vet told me to use to introduce the cats. He's crazy - as evident by the amount of chest hair showing out from under his shirt. We won't be going back to see him!

A Friend For Zoe

Since Sebastian was a no go on bringing him home, I've been thinking about finding another kitty to be a friend for Zoe. The kids and I went to the animal shelter yesterday. We found a ton of adorable kittens and 1 adult male who had already been declawed. He was very sweet and good with the kids, but he had a sign on his cage that said adoption pending. I called back today and no one had come for him so we raced to the animal shelter and claimed him. He's spent the afternoon checking out our house with Zoe stalking behind him at a safe distance. She has very politely told him who's the boss in the household. The big man doesn't seem phased.

Our newest Kitty weighs in at 13 lbs and the vet believes he's 2-3 years old. He is the spitting image of our Nemo if you remember him. We are still working on a name.

Zoe...an Only Kitty

When we went to Germany, my parents became foster parents to our then 8 year old kitty, Sebastian. They've loved him and have taken good care of him. Since we got Zoe, I've missed Sebastain even more. Zoe isn't a loveable, lap kitty like Sebastian was/is. Recently, I started thinking about asking my parents if we could have Sebastian back. They are traveling more in their motor home and Sebastian is a lot of work because he has extremely long hair. They've been considering it, but I don't think we'll be taking him home. The kids have been horrible with him. He's not easy going like Zoe who lets the kids haul her around and bug her without so much as a meow. Sebastian is very opinionated and isn't afraid to express that opinion. He has been hissing, spitting and popping since we got here. He's even doing it to me, who he loves. My mom says he's mad at me for bringing the kids with me into his home. I don't think any amount of time will help him to settle down with them. I think Zoe is going to have to continue to be an only kitty...or maybe I'll keep watching the animal shelter website to find another sweet calico like Zoe.


Sebastian - the 16 lb Maine Coon Cat. He looks a little mad at me in this picture, don't you think?

Now She Likes My Bed

I normally make my bed as soon as I get up. I didn't today and went back upstairs later to make it up. Look at what I found snuggled under the covers:

Zoe used to sleep by my feet at night, but since our vacation, she has started sleeping on Caden's bed. He is definitely her favorite. He's nice and calm around her. He doesn't try to carry her around. He ignores her when she's in the same room. All of those things are the opposite of how the girls react to her so I'm not surprised Zoe has picked Caden to be her buddy. I'm a little sad though because I want a furry snuggle buddy at night too!