Last weekend we got a new kitten from the shelter. He's about five months old and just a huge bundle of love and mischief wrapped in a fur coat! It's not so much that we adopted him, it's more like he chose us. When I saw him at the shelter, he practically lunged at the cage door to get my attention, and made all sorts of ruckus. I opened the cage door to give him a pet, and he LEAPED up onto my shoulder, head butting, licking me and purring like crazy - like we were old long-lost buddies. How can you say "no" to that?! We named him Boomer - well he kind of named himself. He has a little problem with flatulence! OMG, he can practically peel the paint off the walls. We are really hoping that it's just a kitten phase he's going through - adjusting to new food. I'll attach a picture of him at the end of this post.

I was so worried how our other two cats would react to him, especially Tank. Munch, as old as he is, just keeps out of his way but I was so afraid that Tank, who is very much an alpha kitty, would attack Boomer and hurt him. What a shock! The two of them are getting along fine and actually playing together! I am trying my best to divide my time between the three of them so Tank and Munch don't feel left out or displaced, but Boomer can make it difficult at times. I have never had a kitten that was as affectionate, cuddly and people oriented as he is. He's my little shadow.

But I find that Zilla is still shadowing me as well. Today marks seven weeks since I had to help him on his journey over the Bridge. I still miss Zilla so very, very much, I still find myself crying when I think of him. I keep dwelling on his last hours with us, replaying the sad scene over and over in my mind. Since his passing, I have written a memorial for him and also found that his passing has spurred me to put together a photo album of all the fur-kids that have shared and blessed my life over the years. Also, yesterday, I created a slide show tribute to Zilla and posted it on You Tube. You can watch it here if you like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqkR5XRYq-M&fmt=18

I'm sorry, you'll have to cut and paste the link in your browser - I don't know how to embed the link here. I just wanted to create something to remember him by.

I hope you are all doing well. I've read a few of the posts here to try and catch up.
Margie / Ladywolf: congrats on your your new fur baby Bengal Leopold. What an handsome boy he is! I'm so happy that you have a new fur kid to be with you.
Clay / wchamilton: Congrats to you too for your darling Scout, she is absolutely adorable!
Dottie / AngleCareOne - I'm so sorry to hear of your precious Styx kitty being so sick. My prayers are with you both.
Moon Beam - I just think of you often. I hope you are doing well. You were such a help and comfort for me with your kind words and compassion.

To all the rest - I know you are all hurting and grieving over the loss or illness of your sweet loved ones. You will have good days, and bad days, and gradually the good days will start to outweigh the bad. I'm finding out that you never really get over the loss, but you develop ways to cope with it.

I recently read a quote by someone that said something like "Every cat that I have ever lost has taken a piece of my heart with them. Every new cat that I bring into my life has given me a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, my heart will stop being human and will become cat - what an honor!" I think this applies to whatever kind of companion animal you have, fur, feathers, fins, scales or hooves!

May God Bless you all, and my He soothe your aching hearts and souls and ease your pain.
All my Best,
Cat Mom

Hi cat mom, I loved your tribute video to Zilla, he was a beautiful relaxed looking cat that was obviously well cared for and enjoyed his life. OMG, I can't believe how much your new kitty looks like my new kitty Dexter. He also was about 5 months old when we got him from the rescue home. Unlike Boomer, he was really wild and hid under the beds for days, I didn't think we would ever tame him, but tame him we did, he is now what you would call a "floppy cat" He is the most cuddly, affectionalte, well trained cat ever, he always comes when he is called and that is a big plus.
You never forget the love you have for the ones that have passed and you do mis them I know, but having another dear creature to look after sure does help with the pain.
For some reason I can't post photos on here, but Janika has managed to put pics on for me before, so I will see if she can post one of Dexter. If we weren't from different countries, you could think they were brothers. take care xx


madi xx

Hi Madi,
Thanks for your kind words about the video. I would like to think that Zilla had a good and happy life with us. Our cats certainly don't lack for much - my husband and I always say that whenever we adopt a new fur kid, it's Club Med for life!
That's really something about your kitty, Dexter, looking so much like Boomer. They say everyone has a twin somewhere in the world, maybe Boomer's twin is in Oz! I would love to see a picture on Dexter! I hope Janika will we able to post one for you. The funny thing is, Dexter is one of the names I was originally going to name Boomer - until he gave himself his name! Isn't Boomer a slang term for kangaroos in Australia? That sure would be appropriate because Boomer sure does bounce around like a kangaroo!
Thanks again Madi for taking the time to watch Zilla's tribute. He was such a ham, I know he would be pleased to know that he has an audience!
Best Wishes,
Carol - Cat Mom