Hi guys! Happy Valentine’s Day! Since this blog will revolve heavily around my fur babies (the Snuggles half), their life, their health, and my exploration of pet health in general, I thought it only fitting I introduce you to my 5 kitties: Everest, DaVinci, Aria, Kelvin, and Shasta! They’re all almost 3 years old now, so while they’re technically more cats than kittens, you’ll often hear me (read me?) refer to them as my kittens! I can’t help it, no matter how old they get, they will always be my babies! I know I’m not the only one, and also probably not the only one who just freaking loves and wants to share cute photos of their fur babies! 🙂
How the 5 of them came to adopt me – yes, they adopted me (it’s their world and I’m just living in it!) – is a situation I wasn’t *necessarily* prepared for! I already had a senior cat (Bailey), and was working full time while taking courses to prepare for beginning nursing school, so the idea of more pets had been put on the back burner at least for awhile! However, I took a leap and have chosen to figure it out, constantly adapting to make it work because, well, I fell in love with them! Not only that, but they needed a safe, loving, home and I knew I could give them that! So, the rest is history! They are all siblings or cousins, born to stray cats living outside of my house here in the country. I took them in as very young kittens – young enough that they were syringe fed on an around-the-clock schedule until they were old enough for solid food. Whew! They have been a challenge, ESPECIALLY as kittens, but they have been so worth it, and I can’t imagine my life without them! I thought it might be kind of fun to tell you a little bit about each of them, so without further adieu, here’s the crew!
Name: Everest
Breed: Lynx Point Siamese
Nickname: Sweet boy. I know, not very original!
Best Friend: Me! I like to think, anyway! 🙂 He loves to pal around on my shoulders
Relationship: Everest is Shasta’s older brother from a different litter a few months apart. Same mother, not sure about the father but possibly the same?
Personality Profile: Extroverted, curious, energetic leader with a sensitive side. Yeah, I analyze my cats, haha 🙂
Favorite Toy: A little brown stuffed mouse
Favorite Activity: Fetch with the above mouse toy
Favorite Treat:
Diet: Grain free mix of canned , and dry
Supplements: Omega-3s, , Co-Q10, VetriScience Renal Essentials, and
Spirit Animal: A squirrel
Like the car? Big NO. The second time he ever rode in the car, he foamed at the mouth and cried to the point I thought he had rabies! He’d already had his rabies shot so I knew he didn’t, but I had no idea what else it could be. The ride to the vet wasn’t exactly short, so when we finally arrived, I grabbed him and ran inside, asking the front desk lady if a vet could look at him ASAP. Unfortunately, it was a low cost shelter with limited services available, and we were just there for his booster shots, so the vets would not typically perform regular exams. When the vet came in to administer his shots, however, I told her about the situation. She just looked at me and said her cat does the same thing. Anxiety! Ahh! Not great but at least it wasn’t something more serious! Whew. He’s getting better. Poor thing.
Tolerate the vet? Yes, but only because it means being out of the car. He definitely tries to hide wherever he can, and actually enjoys his carrier there, unlike at home!
Name: DaVinci
Breed: Chocolate Point Siamese
Nickname: Vin
Best Friend: My cat, Bailey, who recently passed away. It’s been really tough for him adjusting to the loss 🙁
Relationship: DaVinci and Aria are siblings from the same litter
Personality Profile: Extroverted, fearless, stoic, prey-focused hunter
Favorite Toy: Bouncy ball
Favorite Activity: Fetch with the bouncy ball from above, and he’s relentless!
Favorite Treat: Cat grass and
Diet: Grain free mix of canned , and dry
Supplements: Omega-3s and
Spirit Animal: Mountain lion
Like the car? He does surprisingly well!
Tolerate the vet? His little heart races off the hook but he’s a good boy at the vet.
Name: Aria
Breed: Chocolate Point Siamese
Nickname: Ari
Best Friend: Shasta
Relationship: Aria and DaVinci are siblings from the same litter
Personality Profile: Introverted, intense, opinionated but sweet, and food-motivated
Favorite Toy: Laser light if anything, mostly she’s above toys 🙂
Favorite Activity: Napping, ha! Also, biting my chin to wake me up way too early in the morning!
Favorite Treat: Tuna
Diet: Grain free mix of canned , and dry
Supplements: Omega-3s, Co-Q10, and
Spirit Animal: A human
Like the car? She doesn’t mind! I have a funny/interesting story with her in the car, actually! When I took her to the vet for her spay surgery, I carried her in a fabric travel bag, which should strictly be used for dogs, just FYI! I learned the hard way! I took DaVinci at the same time for his neuter surgery, and carried him in his own fabric travel bag. Aria was fine, cool as ever, but DaVinci proceeded to chew the mesh side out of his bag, and when I got to the vet, I had no choice but to do a newspaper and scotch tape patch job to avoid issues on the way home! Since they would be groggy and most likely sleep on the way home, I wasn’t as concerned about it. I did, however, swap bags so that Aria came home in Vin’s travel bag and he traveled home in hers, because out of the two of them, he clearly was more likely to be trouble! JUST IN CASE. I was wrong. Aria woke up half way home, and managed to slowly make her way out of the bag, through the newspaper and tape patch! While they were both strapped into the front seat so I could keep an eye on them, I still wasn’t able to keep her from getting out in the end, and she wound up laying on my lap the final mile home. Ahhhh you live and learn!
Tolerate the vet? She stays calm and cool as a cucumber – no white coat syndrome for her!
Name: Kelvin
Breed: Chocolate Point Siamese
Nickname: Kevin Wevin or Adventure Cat Kelvin! He’s an indoor ONLY kitty who has managed to escape TWICE now, out into the wild. There are few times I’ve even been so stressed!
Best Friend: Anyone who pets him
Relationship: Kelvin and Shasta are siblings from the same litter
Personality Profile: Extroverted, vocal, friendly, attention-loving adventurer with lap-cat tendencies. He’s a bit of an enigma 🙂
Favorite Toy: The cardboard tube inside of a roll of plastic grocery bags
Favorite Activity: Sneaking into the bathroom and laying in the shower or on the bath mat. Either that or sneaking out of the house and adventuring for weeks at a time while I worry to death! Ha! A story for another time…
Favorite Treat:
Diet: Same as above, a grain free mix of canned , and dry
Supplements: Omega-3s, Co-Q10, and
Spirit Animal: A dog
Like the car? Doesn’t love it but tolerates it.
Tolerate the vet? Fairly well
Name: Shasta
Breed: Lynx Point Siamese
Nickname: Shasta Wasta
Best Friend: Aria, but he’ll happily solicit snuggles from any of the others as well
Relationship: Shasta and Kelvin are siblings from the same litter
Personality Profile: Introverted, shy but sweet, always good-natured occasional joiner
Favorite Toy: Laser light
Favorite Activity: Chewing on hair or anything plastic (ie: plastic wrappers or straws)! Flat-line mouth squinty emoji, for sure!
Favorite Treat: Cat grass. He’s not a fan of any of the packaged treats I’ve offered him so far!
Diet: Same as above, Grain free mix of canned , and dry
Supplements: Omega-3s, , and VetriScience Renal Essentials
Spirit Animal: A baby bunny!
Like the car? NOPE. He’s so not ok being out of his comfort zone!
Tolerate the vet? Depends on what you mean by tolerate! He pretty much hates the vet because he’s so shy, and it breaks my heart! He literally freaks out even before he gets out the front door.
In Loving Memory of Bailey <3
Bailey passed away on Christmas in 2017 at almost 14 years old. He is constantly missed, and I’m still trying to figure out exactly how to say goodbye to a best friend. He is the inspiration for this blog, especially the Snuggles aspect, and my motivation for continuing to explore the best ways to keep pets healthier and happier for longer. That’s ultimately what we want, right? To spend as much time as possible with the ones we love, while we can!
