HOW I GOT GCATS & A GPUP

When my daughter was nine years old she rescued a kitten from a neighbor in our apartment complex. The elderly man had over twenty cats that were all being neglected in a two-bedroom one-bathroom unit. The kitten was covered in fleas. It was so small she fit in one of my daughters' hands. At the time neither my daughter nor I knew anything about taking care of a cat. I never had any animals of my own when I was growing up because I traveled out of town too much. We made a horrible decision to give the cat a shower. Alexandria held the cat to her chest while I washed it with flea soap and warm water from an adjustable shower head. The cat had fleas coming out of its eyes and getting all over Alexandria, not to mention its claws were hurting my poor daughter. We were able to get quite a bit of the fleas off of the kitten especially after drying her and putting flea powder all over her and the room they stayed in. Alexandria was traumatized from the whole shower experience and after only one short week she found a home for the kitten.

Now that Alexandria is an adult and living on her own I was extremely surprised to find out that I am a GMom to not one but two cats. (Whom I refer to as my GCats.) Between the two cats, Alexandria met Simba first when she was walking her bike which was on a flat home from work. At the time Simba was a newborn kitten hiding in some bushes by Alexandria's apartment. He was all alone and meowing, my daughter tried to get Simba to come out so she could see if he was alright yet the first day was not successful. On the second day, my daughter brought a can of potted meat with her and Simba came out to eat it. Alexandria picked Simba up and the two of them went home. For the first couple of weeks, Simba would hide all over the apartment. Until he felt comfortable being with my daughter, she did not mind she gave him his space and allowed him to get used to her and his new environment. Simba is a Tabby cat which just describes the unique pattern in his fur coat. When Simba made a year old he got a sister named Sarabii. Alexandria was outside smoking she heard some loud scratching on the side of her brick apartment building. She went to see what was causing that sound, and that is when she saw Sarabii trying her best to climb the wall. Of course, Alexandria's first thought was I just have to see if this cat can actually make it up a brick wall. Sarabii continued for quite some time then she decided to go up to Alexandria as if to say, you see me struggling aren't you going to help me out. At that moment Alexandria picked her up and brought her home to meet Simba. Alexandria never had more than one cat in her apartment before, she was unaware of the fact that cats have a habit of marking their territory. When Sarabii met Simba they ran around a box that was in my daughters' living room and hissed at one another for a while. Then Simba leaned over and sniffed Sarabii, she smacked him with her paw. He was just curious as to who this stranger was that his Mom had brought home. Simba and Alexandria both had no idea what Sarabii would do next. So she decided to deal with her cats like most parents would deal with their fighting sons. She went into her room closed the door and let the cats duke it out all night. Sarabii was hissing, pouncing, and climbing all over the furniture, while Simba stayed close to the bedroom door whining when he was not running for his life. Luckily the cats did not cause any blood to be shed, but Sarabii sure made poor Simba miserable. This went on for a few weeks until Alexandria talked to her best friend Cassie and found out that the cats were supposed to be separated until they basically came to an agreement. Simba was not sure if he was being punished by being placed in the bathroom, or if he was supposed to be grateful that he was safe. The very thought of it made him cry all day, he did not understand why his life had to change so suddenly. Alexandria could not stand the crying and decided to switch the cats. Sarabii was sent to the bathroom and Simba had his territory back. This went on for several weeks until Sarabii decided to calm down. Sarabii did not have a problem with staying in the bathroom she made herself comfortable in the sink and watched my daughter put on her make-up. After a few months, the cats got used to one another. Simba played as usual and stayed clear from Sarabii and her paws. Sarabii liked to climb high and relax like she was the owner of the house. Every now and then when Sarabii got bored she would pounce on Simba when he least expected it and was minding his own business. Simba believes that Sarabii thinks she's some kind of lion king, and he decided it was just best to ignore her.

Before my GCats knew it almost a year had gone by and my daughter who had been living in Louisiana decided it was time to move. Simba was showing signs of being both excited and scared. He was excited to go to a new place because he loved to be around new people. He was scared because he did not know what to expect. My daughter had told him that her friend Cassie also had two cats and one was a Tortie Calico cat, like Sarabii but it was a male cat. The thought of that alone was enough to make any cat uncomfortable.

The car ride to Arizona from Louisiana was long, but Simba did not mind he was happy that he did not have to be locked up in a cage. He rode on top of a box the whole way. Both of my GCats behaved themselves and made it to Cassie's place safely. Cassie was prepared she had gates to separate all the cats from each other. Sarabii was just too mischievous always pouncing and smacking everyone with her paws. It took three months before the gates were removed and everyone could get along. Simba could not wait to be released outside to explore his new home. He quickly made friends in the neighborhood, Alexandria told me that if she did not know any better she would accuse Simba of being in a gang. Sarabii did not let her new environment change her, she found her a good spot on the top of an artificial cat tree and lounged there as if she was a Queen on her throne. Simba spent his time making friends he even tried to start dating. When he brought home a female cat Sarabii became possessive of her. Which leads my daughter to believe that Sarabii really believes she is a King, not a Queen. Cassies Calico cat made several attempts to make Sarabii his girlfriend, but she was crazy about this new female cat. Besides that, her obsession with smacking helps the male cats give up pursuing her.

Cassie decided one day to get Alexandria the sweetest gift, which she found on Craigs List. (Someone had found this precious puppy and decided to find her a home by listing it on a platform called Craigs List.) Cassie picked up the puppy and bought it a bed, collar, toys, and food. Then she went home and placed the puppy on Alexandria while she had her eyes closed. My daughter immediately fell in love with the puppy and so did Simba he now had him a friend with as much energy as himself. The puppy was extremely calm and comfortable around my daughter, Cassie, and Simba. Of Coarse Sarabii had to test the puppy out smelling it and lightly patting it with her paw. Which after six months she continues to do when she's bored. My daughter just made twenty-seven this year, Simba is now three, Sarabii is two, and Precious Dream is six months. They are one big happy family and they never have a dull moment. Alexandria loves her stray's and there here to stay.