Cat's Name & Age:
Cee Cee - 10 years old? Only she knows and she ain't tellin'!!
Best Characteristics of the Tortoiseshell
Why....Tortie-tude, of course!!!
Most Challenging Characteristics of the Tortoiseshell
Tortie-tude, for sure! Madama Cee Cee KNOWS what she wants and DEMANDS it. She flits here and there- her poufy poufy tail held high, her poufy bloomers a-wigglin, She "kvetches" -- she rarely ever meows. She KNOWS what she wants! She snuggles and cuddles, makes biscuits and purr purr purrs!!!
When, Where and How I Got My Tortie
One cold rainy November day I exited a clinic with Auntie (she lives in Delaware, I don't). I looked at their lawn and said "I bet CATS live here!" Why, I don't know! But no sooner had I said that when a frowzy head peeked out from under a bush & a Tortie hesitantly walked up to me! I was astonished! I left her some food (Auntie would have thrown a fit had I rescued her), contacted the clinic, and called the shelters which were (LUCKILY) closed - I didn't know they would have killed her - she was feral. When I got home (VA) I contacted a TNR person in Delaware. She found Cee Cee AND 17 other cats! I adopted Cee Cee.
I'd Describe My Cat As…
A REAL love bug. She LOVED to be brushed from Day One! But I could not pick her up - she would try to bite and scratch. It took her a year to finally calm down (she was easily startled and whenever I had to look for her I'd look UP and would usually see a pair of BIG green eyes staring down at me from the tallest bookcases). When I first got her, you could see her spine under her heavy long hair!! Her life on the streets must have been miserable. She managed to raise 2 litters out on the streets -- everyone got trapped spayed and neutered! Some of her babies WERE adoptable, the others were released into the now-managed feral colony. I initially fed her canned kitten food so she could make up for her missing nutrients-- that helped.
Cat toys scared her. Noises of any kind scared her. A voice other than mine would send her into hiding for HOURS. But she LOVED her "Beeooty Parlor!" and would come a-wigglin to get brushed. I was very patient with her, and then one day, a year after I took her home, I heard "Thumpity thump- thumpity thump!" and there was Cee Cee in the hallway, chasing her tail!!! She even got tame anough for me to pick her up!! Much to MY and HER delight! She would purr and put her little frowzy head under my chin and brush my face with her cheeks.
Now... after the passage of a few more years, she will wiggle on her back, and I can (quickly) rub her belly!
She has a heart murmur. However, I have kept her heart murmur "stabilized" with (Holistic) Vet-recommended Hawthorne (non alcoholic drops in her food)
She was also diagnosed with Hyperthyroid. Much to my, her and the (allopathic) vet's delight, I was able to bring her T4 levels down toward Normal, by using a holistic remedy specially formulated for Hyperthyroid cats.
Cee Cee ADORED one of my cats, Princess, and BOTH cats used to sing to their toys at night and drop them at my bedroom door. How sweet!!!
By the way -- I asked an Animal Communicator to findo ut why Cee Cee came out of the bushes and walked up to me that cold rainy November day. I was humbled when Cee Cee said that she did it because she felt my sincerity....
Advice
- Always be patient with your cat(s)
- Try to understand all about Cat-ness-- being a cat. They do the things they do because, they are CATS. They are not human, although they may exhibit "human" traits. They live according to their own genus, species, breed, personality. Truly, THEY are trying to figure out why WE humans do the strange things WE do!!!
- Solve litterbox or other issues - do not give your cat(s) away -- take em to the vet -- talk to the vet- get on some good chat boards. WHO knows what will happen to them if you give them away to a new home! I HAVE heard horror stories.
- Love them as they are!!
