Happy Gotcha Day

Happy Gotcha Day, Simon!

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Simon was adopted on November 1, 2017. He was a year and a half old when I adopted him. While Simon is the youngest cat in this home, he is the one that has been with me the longest. Simon has also been through two moves with me now. Simon moved from the apartment to our first house. Then, Simon moved from the hell house to our current home. 

Simon is 9.5 years old. He may be turning 10 in the spring and approaching senior status, but Simon will always be the baby. He is pure innocence. I had Kip and Kitty from the time they were kittens. I called them the Dynamic Duo. I remember kitten phase and can’t handle kittens. Since then, I’ve said I would adopt adults. Simon is the youngest adult cat I have adopted. 

Simon is the sweetest cat. He sleeps with me in the bed every single night. We were so fortunate that we were able to all stay together through this vert rough move we just went through. I was worried we would have to be separated for 3-4 days. Turns out, we had to be in temporary housing for 3-4 weeks. I am so grateful we were all together. The cars came through the ordeal better because we were all together. They are not unscathed, but better than if we had been separated.

Of the three cats, Simon is the one who has been handling the move in stride. It may be because this was the second move for him. The hardest part for Simon is that he is grieving Jude. Simon was with Jude from the day I brought him home. Simon and Jude were very closely bonded. 

While Simon is also closely bonded to Jolene, bis strongest tie was with Jude. Simon is our Chief Cuddler. He just loves everyone and wants to snuggle everyone in the house. Simon gets as close to Flower as he dares to get once she is asleep. Flower hisses at Simon when she is awake. 

Simon loves playing with small toy mice. He can often be seen on cat cam throwing them around in the air, batting them, and carrying them from room to room. If there are cat toys under appliances and furniture, it’s because Simon put them there. When we were in the apartment, I used to take a yard stick to fish out all the cat toys from under the refrigerator every week. I was regularly pulling out 20-30 toys a week. There are not as many toys under appliances in the house. This is a bigger space than the apartment. 

Even the vet office says that Simon is the sweetest cat. He fully cooperates for his exam and vaccines. Simon is very loving. 

His only downside is that Simon is afraid of everything. He is so sweet and innocent. He is easily scared. This made it extremely difficult to get him to safety in the old house both for tornado warnings and for neighbor attacks when we were being harassed and assaulted. 

The other challenge with Simon is that he chews cords. I’m not sure if that is something from his kittenhood, but when Simon is being naughty, he tries to chew a cord or string. I must hide all cords as much as possible. 

Everyone loves Simon. Sweet and innocent are the words that describe him best. “Simon is a good baby” is a phrase heard frequently in our home. Simon is a very good baby. He is such a precious soul.

When I adopted Simon, I had been approved to adopt him in October. I asked the shelter to keep him until November 1 before I picked him up. I did not want a new cat near Halloween and have him scared on Halloween on top of being in a new house. I thought it would be too much. I’m glad I made that decision, now knowing how scared he is of everything. It was the best choice for Simon. 

This marks 8 years that Simon has been with me. He is the perfect baby. Simon’s name comes from three places. First, from The Saint so that Simon has a link with Kip and Kitty. Second, from Paul Simon so that he has a link with Jude (and now Jolene). Third, from the Chipmunks. 

Simon knows his name, and it fits him. When I sing Paul Simon songs to him, it’s typically either “Everything about it is a love song” or “Loves me like a Rock.” 

Simon is the only boy in this house now. It’s Simon with Jolene and Flower. It’s so strange. I’ve always had boys. Jolene was my first girl. Now, Simon is the only boy. There is a lot on his little shoulders. He is the youngest cat in the house but has the most “seniority” since he has been with me the longest. 

Happy Gotcha Day, Simon! We love you! I am so honored to be your mom. Simon is a good baby. He is the most gentle and innocent soul. 

Jude, My Forever Valentine

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Happy 13th Birthday, Jude! Today is also Jude’s 11th Gotcha Day. He was adopted on Valentine’s Day when he was two years old. Jude will always be my valentine. He truly took a sad song and made it better. 

Jude was with Kitty for the last few years of Kitty’s life. Kitty passed away from cancer shortly before age 19. I had told Jude that he was going to be an only child. But he acted like he was lonely, so almost a year after Kitty passed away, Jude did get a sibling when I adopted Simon.

Jude is Lead Coworker in our house. After seeing me through my master’s degree years ago, he knows how to be the perfect coworker. There is a cat bed in front of a window right next to my workstation. It is one of Jude’s favorite places to be. He typically spends at least half the workday, if not more, performing his Lead Coworker duties.

He is the first cat that I was able to carrier train, and It was completely on accident. Jude is VERY food motivated. Kitty was a slow eater in the last few years of his life. I started feeding Jude and Kitty both in their carriers so that Jude was not able to steal Kitty’s food and Kitty could take his time eating. Jude has been carrier trained ever since. It comes in handy when it is time to take him in for vet visits and for emergencies like last year’s tornado. 

While not a snuggle bug like Simon, Jude does get along well with both Simon and Jolene. You often see Jude grooming his siblings and being groomed in return. Jude also plays with Simon. He thinks about playing with Jolene but then thinks twice about it. Jude is more likely to cuddle Jolene than he is to play with her. Jolene is in charge.

Jude pretty much dictates meal times and often ropes in Simon and Jolene to beg for food with him. He makes sure everyone gets plenty of treats. 

When he is not working, Jude’s favorite place to sleep is on my bed. He sleeps in the bed with me every night. All the cats do. Jude also sleeps on the bed during the day. He has always liked to be on the bed. 

As Jude ages, he is having some mobility challenges and signs of dementia. He is still strong in both mind and spirit. You know when Jude wants something! He is starting to struggle with stairs and sometimes with jumping. We do have pet steps to help. 

The water bowls are all elevated for orthopedic reasons. Jude is the one of the three that does the best job of using the elevated bowls properly. He sits in front of the water station and has his drink of water. Simon and Jolene seem to be confused by elevated water bowls and climb up on the shelf to drink the water. The shelf helps Jude access water with his mobility. 

As Jude has gotten older, he has become more loving. Jude was always a cat that preferred to sit next to you, not directly on your lap. In the past year or two, Jude has started to sit on my lap. However, he is very specific about his lap sitting. If I move at all, he is gone! 

Jude does not like riding in the car and screams all the way to and from the vet office. Once at the vet office, he is fine. He just does not like to travel. I always tell any new vet techs that if they offer Jude food, he will be their new best friend. He is very highly food motivated.

Jude has been with me a long time through many ups and downs. He came into my life when I was having a very challenging time and made it better. He has always been here for me. I love Jude so much. He is such an inspiration and a great leader for our family. 

Happy 13th Birthday, Jude! You will always be my valentine. 

Happy 5th Gotcha Day, Jolene!

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Jolene transporting her favorite stuffy, ghost bear. Ghost bear is moved daily.

It was 5 years ago today, on January 14, 2020 that Jolene came home from the shelter and joined our family. She has now officially been a member of our family longer than she was homeless. Jolene was 5 years old whe  I adopted her. She had been found dumped in a box with her kittens. Of course, all her kittens were adopted first. Then Jolene picked me out when I was at the shelter looking for a cat friendly DOG.

Jolene is the Queen of our house and livened things up when she arrived. I never though life was boring, but when you compare life from before Jolene to life with Jolene – life before Jolene was boring. 

Jolene gets both Jude and Simon to play in ways that they did not play prior to her arrival. Jude and Simon did play with each other. However, with Jolene around, they play much more. Simon loves playing with Jolene. They play quite frequently throughout the day. They love chasing each other up and down stairs and wrestling.

Jude prefers to play by himself. However, I have noticed that Jude plays more frequently since Jolene arrived. It’s almost like Jolene has given the boys” permission” to be playful. 

Jolene moves stuffies around. Her favorite stuffies, ghost bear and carrot, are moved daily. She has to be sure that her stuffies are where she wants them before bed. She loves the cacti scratching posts and can frequently be found climbing them as well. 

Jolene is our Lead Hedgewatch-er. She knows everything that is going on inside the house and outside. She keeps a diligent eye on all the birds, squirrels, outside cats and neighbors. She goes to the basement with me every morning to check the live traps for mice. If there is a mouse in the live trap, she bats the tube to bring it to my attention that a mouse needs to be released outside. 

I always had boys cats prior to Jolene. She is my first girl and has my girl baby name. I could not ask for a more perfect daughter. She brings so much life and love to our lives. 

She does coworker shifts with me during the day, sitting in my lap while I work. She sleeps with me every single night. She cuddles and cleans both Jude and Simon. 

Jude is the oldest of the three. He likes to think he is in charge. Jolene is the one in charge. Jude does not play with Jolene very often. He thinks about it, then thinks better of it. Jolene is a lot smaller than Jude, but she is in charge and does not put up with his crap. Jolene gives Jude a look and Jude backs down.

Simon is the youngest of the three. Sometimes Jolene does treat him like a kitten. I did see her once grab the back of his neck like a kitten and try to drag him. She did not get very far, as Simon is so much bigger than she is. But Jolene does treat Simon like a kitten sometimes. She cuddles him like a kitten when they sleep on bed with me at night.

Everyone who has met Jolene loves her. She comes out of the box at the vet office with confidence. She acts like she owns the place! Jolene is very particular on what she likes and doesn’t like. If you do something she doesn’t like, I call her Miss Sassy Pants. She makes it known when she doesn’t like something. 

Jolene is the life and the love of our lives. She makes this house a home. I am very fortunate in that I have a bonded trio. Both the boys love Jolene to pieces. We are so lucky she picked me out that day at the shelter. 

Happy Gotcha Day, Jolene! We are so happy to have you as part of our family! 

Happy Gotcha Day, Simon!

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Happy Gotcha Day, Simon! 

Today is Simon’s Gotcha Day. He was adopted from the shelter and brought home 7 years ago today. Simon was a year and a half at adoption. Today he is 8.5 years old. 

I met Simon at the shelter in October and had been approved for his adoption. However, with Halloween on October 31, I asked the shelter if they could keep him until November 1. I did not want to have a new cat in the house getting used to new surroundings being further traumatized by Halloween. I figured it would be safer for him to just stay in the shelter until the day after so he could come home to a calm environment to get acclimated to his new home.

Kitty had passed away in the spring of 2017, and I had not planned on adopting again. I told Jude he was going to be an only child. However, despite playing with Jude every day and spending as much time with him as I could, I could tell that he needed more stimulation and interaction than I was able to provide. Yes, he mourned Kitty’s passing, but he was lonely too. 

I had a student who was doing a job shadow at the animal shelter with one of the veterinarians. I had to do a site visit for the students doing job shadows. That was how I met Simon. Jude had been begging for a new companion, and when I met Simon, I knew he was the one. 

Simon was 1.5 years old at the time, he was younger than I was thinking. After living through kitten phase with Kitty and Kip, I now prefer to adopt older cats. However, even though he was a young 1.5 years old, Simon was the perfect companion for Jude.

Simon is our Chief Cuddler. Everyone loves Simon. He gets along so well with both Jude and Jolene. Simon is very loving. He sleeps with me every night. He is often right next to my pillow or right up beside me near my shoulders. 

The only challenge with Simon is that he is painfully shy. When he goes to the vet office, he behaves well. He is very sweet. He allows them to examine him and do his vaccines. However, Simon prefers to hide. He is very shy.

Simon is shy to the point that no one other than the vet has ever seen Simon in person. Anytime someone comes to the house, Simon hides. His preferred hiding place is the cupboard under the kitchen sink. I even had someone who came to the house once a week for a year when Simon was adopted to help me with things, and that person never saw Simon. 

A few years ago, I was very ill. A friend came over to the house daily to help me with feeding the cats. She never saw Simon either. He would not even come out to eat. She had to put his food dish in the cupboard under the sink to get him to eat. She never actually saw Simon.

It worries me he is so shy because if something ever happens to me, I don’t know how Simon would cope. Obviously, he is okay with me and loves me. This is his home, and I am his person. But if something happens to me, someone is going to have to be painfully patient with his level of shyness.

Jolene goes right up to people. She is super friendly and must be in the middle of everything. Jude is food motivated. If you give him something to eat, he will be your best friend. Simon has never come out of hiding for anyone, even with people who visit regularly. 

You would never know how shy Simon is based on his popularity on social media. 

Simon is so sweet and loving. I feel so fortunate to be his human and that he chose to open to me when I met him at the shelter. 

When I adopted Simon, I literally picked him up from the shelter after work on November 1, and we had a vet appointment for his first well visit. He went from the shelter to the vet to home. He was the cleanest and most well taken care of cat I have ever adopted from a shelter. When he had his well visit immediately upon leaving the shelter, he had no fleas, no ear mites, was neutered and up to date on vaccines. 

Of course, I did the slow introduction process with Jude and Simon. It went easy and well due to the bonus fact that Simon was so healthy and did not need to be medically quarantined to avoid giving something to Jude.

In fact, Jude and Simon were playing “paws” under the door much more quickly than I would have thought. Their “slow introduction” process was the fastest of any cats I’ve had, and it was all on their schedule. 

Simon is the baby of the family, and everyone loves Simon. He is such a snuggle bug. He also loves to play with both Jude and Jolene. He keeps this house full of love.  

Simon is his own cat and has a unique personality. In addition to being painfully shy, he is also afraid of lawnmowers and thunderstorms. Simon hides when he is scared.

As baby of the family, Simon rarely performs coworker duties. When he does appear in the office, it is usually because it is close to mealtime or quitting time. Simon has started spending the last hour of work in the office with me. He knows when work is over, we all go downstairs, and it is family time. 

Simon brings so much love to our home. I’m glad Jude prodded me into getting him a companion instead of leaving him as an only child. Simon is truly the heart of our family. 

Happy Gotcha Day, Simon! We are so happy you are with us here in your forever home. I am very glad you chose me to be your mom. Simon is a good baby and we love him. 

Happy 12th Birthday, Jude!

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Today is Jude’s 12th birthday. It is also his Gotcha Day. Jude has officially been with me for a decade now. Every single day he truly lives up to his name by taking a sad song and making it better. Jude brings so much joy to our home. 

Jude is my lead coworker. He knows when I am working and typically sleeps in the cat bed next to me. The past few months he has even started to sit in my lap. Jude has been having health issues since the fall and has been sitting in my lap since he became unwell. 

The vet office has not yet been able to pinpoint a cause for his issues. He was having trouble eating and stopped eating. I changed his food, which has helped. He has had dental care at the vet office. He is scheduled for another procedure later this month to see if that will help him. To be honest, I kind of think that Jude is older than we all think and that he is showing signs of advancing age.

Jude is the man of the house. He is definitely in-charge. That is, unless something involves Jolene. Jude treats Jolene much the same as he treated Kitty the last few years he was alive. Kitty and Jude were together for 3 years before Kitty passed away from cancer. Jude treated Kitty with respect. He cuddled him, groomed him, and would play with him. Somehow, Jude seemed to know when Kitty had enough playing and would stop.

Jude is quite similar with Jolene. He plays with Jolene, but you can tell when he does that he thinks twice about it. He will play with her a little bit and then stop. Basically if Jolene does something “back” to Jude, he will stop and run away. 

Jude plays more with Simon. Sometimes, I worry that he plays too rough with Simon. However, there are plenty of times I find Jude and Simon cuddling together and grooming each other. The play is two-sided. Simon does batt back at Jude. 

Jude was an only child for 7 months after Kitty passed away. I had not been ready to adopt again, but Jude was acting like he was lonely and needed another friend. I remember when I adopted Simon to be Jude’s friend. I kept Simon separate at first to do the slow introduction I always do with a new cat. However, Simon had only been home for a day when they were already playing “paws” under the door. Jude accepted Simon quite readily into the household. 

I worry about Jude’s health issues. We never know how long we have on this earth. I am so privileged to have had this decade with Jude. He has completely taken a sad song and made it better. I am hoping that Jude is with me for many more years. Of course, he is getting all the vet care he needs. But you never know how things are going to go. 

Based on his attitude, Jude is a fighter. He is not letting his increasing age get him down. He is still very much in charge of our home. As he ages, Jude has become even more loving with me and with his siblings. He has come a long way from the scared cat that was rescued from a hoarding situation that had 30+ cats crammed into a tiny trailer. Jude is now confident, loved and loving. 

I am so grateful to have Jude in my life. Happy Birthday, Jude. I love you. 

Happy Gotcha Day, Simon!

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Happy Gotcha Day, Simon! Simon has been with me for 6 years. He is 7.5 years old. I purposefully waited until November 1 to bring Simon home, despite being approved to adopt him the last week of October. Halloween is a very dangerous time for cats, as evil people often torture them. I decided to bring Simon home on November 1 so that he was safe in the shelter on Halloween. (Many pets go missing on Halloween.)

Simon is the baby of the family and our Chief Cuddler. Everyone loves Simon. Simon sleeps with me every single night, right next to my pillow. Simon is very gentle and shy. He is afraid of fireworks and loud noises. He is a homebody and has never expressed any interest in going outside or leaving the house. 

He hides in the cupboard under the kitchen sink when he gets scared. While he is terrified of the upright vacuum cleaner, he tolerates the robot vacuum. Simon no longer hides when the robot vacuum is working. 

Simon plays with both Jolene and Jude. He tends to play more with Jolene. They chase each other up and down the stairs and wrestle on the floor. Simon cuddles with both Jude and Jolene, which is why he is Chief Cuddler.

Being the baby of the family, Simon does not think he needs to perform coworker duties. Simon very rarely makes appearances in the office as coworker. Typically, when Simon appears in the office, it’s because it is close to a mealtime. At mealtimes, Simon sits and waits patiently for his food to be dished (as opposed to his siblings who prance about). 

Simon loves playing red dot and with small toy mice. He often picks up the toy mice and flings them through the air. He enjoys watching birds play in the bushes outside the window. 

Simon brings so much joy to all our lives. I am so glad he is part of our family. Simon is so sweet, gentle, and loving. We love you, Simon. Happy Gotcha Day! 

Furever Home

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Happy 11th Birthday, Jude! Valentine’s Day 2023 is Jude’s 11th birthday. It is also his Gotcha Day. He has been with me for 9 years. Jude was adopted at age 2. He had been taken by the Humane Society from a hoarding situation that had over 30 cats crammed into a tiny trailer. 

Jude was very shy in the shelter. He did not want to come out of his cage. The shelter workers said he got along with all of the other cats and played gently with them, keeping his claws in. Jude was the perfect companion for Kitty, who was 15 when Jude entered our home. Kitty was heartbroken over the loss of his lifelong companion, Kip. When Jude arrived, he truly did take a sad song and make it better.

Jude played gently with Kitty and was with him through his final years and battle with cancer. When Kitty passed away, I told Jude he was going to be an only child. That lasted about 7 months before Jude started driving me nuts and obviously needed a feline companion. 

Jude is now the eldest brother to younger siblings Simon and Jolene. Jude took to Simon right away. They are best friends and often cuddle and groom each other. Jude is the same. With Jolene. Sometimes, I think Jude plays rough with Simon. However, it could just be the contrast with how gentle he was with Kitty.

The funny thing is, Jude treats Jolene much the same as he treated Kitty. Jude will play with Jolene, but very gently, and not for long. Jolene often chases Jude. He does nothing to retaliate. You can tell Jolene is in charge. 

This is in contrast to when Simon and Jolene play together. They both give and take quite equally. 

As Jude is celebrating 9 years with me, he has now officially been living in the house longer than we were in the apartment. This house is truly his furever home. You can tell he is much happier in the house than he was in the apartment. I do not think he was unhappy in the apartment. He just seems happier in the house.

In the house, there is more room to run and play. Jude plays more in the house. He is comfortable here. He often rolls around on the floor, which is his indication he wants attention, pets, and play.

All three cats have now officially lived in this house longer than they have lived any place else in their lives. This is home for them. Personally, I will have to be in this house another decade before it surpasses the time I lived in the apartment. 

For the cats, this is home. It’s the home they have known. This is where we will be living for the rest of our lives. 

I did not intend to adopt Jude on Valentine’s Day. We had a snowstorm that year and the schools all closed. The roads were bad, but not that bad. Since I unexpectedly had the day off, I decided to go meet Jude early. I had been planning on meeting him the following week. I honestly did not know if he would be the right cat to be a companion for Kitty or if we would get along or not. As soon as I met him, I knew he was the right one. 

He refused to come out of his cage, but he was fine with me opening the cage, petting him, and interacting with him. Jude has so much love to give.

In the past 9 years, he has come so far. He has gone from sitting next to me on the couch to actually sitting on my lap at times. He does love pets and play, but definitely on his own terms. He hates to be picked up.

Jude is very loving with his siblings and is the perfect older brother. Jude will always be my Valentine. I am so glad I took a chance on this shy cat that everyone else had overlooked. He has the sweetest personality, if you have the patience to work with him and allow him to come out on his own terms.

Jude loves being on the bed during the day when I am no longer in it. Sometimes he does sleep in the bed with me at night, but always near my feet. That’s ok. It’s on his terms. I love it when all three cats are in the bed with me at night.

Jude loves laying on the couch with me when reading or watching the DVD player. Since being in the house, he is much more playful. He enjoys his toys and his cactus scratching posts. 

This house is the furever home for all three cats now. We will be here until they have all passed. Jude seems to love the space in the house much more than the apartment. There is also lots of entertainment outside the windows with birds, squirrels and neighbors.

Happy Birthday, Jude. Happy Gotcha Day, Jude. We are in our furever home. Thank you so much for taking a sad song and making it better.