India Rose, formerly known as "Patches"

I am India Rose. My story began in Adams County. Somehow, someway, I was left by my mom. Don't know how- and I am SURE she wouldn't have left me voluntarily. Cats are pretty good moms- better than some people. They don't do drugs, get drunk, let boyfriends kitten sit while the mom hunts- you get the picture.  It was very, very cold. Below freezing, in fact. And the enemy of tiny kittens everywhere is getting cold. And I was VERY cold. So, I crawled up into the first car engine I could find. My new mom has told me several times that  most kitten stories would end right there. But I'm a clever girl, and somehow, someway, I didn't burn or get hurt by the engine. Unfortunately, I was stuck. The car driver went all the way (9 miles) to Walmart and went in to work. When she (my rescuer, Miss Sunny) came out, luckily she heard a teensy meow coming from the engine. Her friend came out to help her get me out of the engine and Sunny took me home. I don't like to sound ungrateful, but there were about 8 (I was too little to count) other cats at her house. I was scared, but I became a big fan of Miss Sunny's because she kept me warm and happy. I was sick, though. I had giardia, ear mites, an eye infection - but hey, I had a person loving me.  Sunny couldn't keep me though, so through the local pet rescue, she put my kitten self on that petfinder site. 

India as "Patches" on petfinder

 







Cute, eh?
My Mom and Dad had lost their little calico about 6 months earlier. She had a lymphoma and was 17. They were SO SAD- too sad to even get another kitten then. But my Mom says that it was as if they knew they were waiting for ME!! So very true. 
When my Mom saw my kitten self on Petfinder, she started to cry because she just KNEW I was her kitten. My Mom was an orphan for SIX MONTHS when she was born, and she felt that I, being an orphan, was just the cat for her.  My Dad was so excited that my Mom wanted another kitty that he said ""Let's DO IT!", and they immediately begged to have me. They filled out the long application and put the above charming photo all around their house to show I would have everything and be very loved. That picture was really one of my Mom holding my picture and hugging it. They were very nervous that it wouldn't work but they liked my Mom so much that they gave me to them!

There was, however, a problem. I was 4 hours away. And the rescue wouldn't let them come pick me up. That was a BAD decision. I was put in a rescue transport car, then transferred in Cle Elum, and somehow (I blush) I pooped on myself because I just had to go, and no on helped me. I was the only kitty in a car full of dogs. I was SO SCARED. The rescuer delivered me, and I was covered in poop and he washed me in water that got dirty fast... ick. But I was shivering, and about 5 hours later, it was clear I had pneumonia. I had to be RUSHED to the emergency vet.

I was ONE SICK KITTEN.  I got antibiotics, ear mite treatment, asthma treatment, fluids, and another bath. My Mom and Dad were so upset. They held me all night long and kept me warm. It wasn't easy since I liked running under the sofa because I just didn't know what all this meant. So far it didn't seem to be going that well.

Slowly, I got SO much better. I got to my forever home on a Saturday night, and on MONDAY I got to meet my real vet in Redmond. She was so sweet. I hid from her, but I did like her. She was very gentle. And every one at the vet office acted like they'd never seen a kitten as fine as me!

While I don't love going TO the vet- I do love my vet. She gets me. I'm a sensitive sort.
I had to get spayed because it wasn't done when I was a tiny kitten. It is hard to spay a kitten in a car engine! But it was tough on me. I had to wear a CONE. But my Mom slept on the sofa with me and held my head in her hand every night. She fed me by hand so I could eat, too. Maybe it was harder on her than it was on me! I learned to play while it was on because I am a very smart cat. I had to have an operation on my leg at the same time because I had a bad reaction to my kitten shot and it made a scary lump. They won't do THAT again!

After lots of little health issues, I am a big happy and healthy girl. Here are two pictures to compare how much I have grown.

Before:

baby India

 

 

After:



Nice, huh?  I am a big fluffy girl who weighs almost 9 pounds now! I'm about 18 months old. And did I mention I LOVE it when the fire is on??

What do I like (love)?  I like my family- especially my little sister but we can go into that later. I like salmon flavored cat food and my diet dry food. I like sparkle balls, feathers, and one special black stick. Just the stick. I like sleeping in the sun and sleeping on a table in the master bedroom. I like my furry blanket. I like my cat tree cubby. I like talking. I like stretching and patting my Mom on her leg to get her attention because she sits at the stupid computer box a lot. And I LOVE running around like a crazy pants - especially with my sister. And I really love watching the stuff out the window.

What do I hate? Ugh- I hate blood draws. I hate scary noises. I hate people who don't give me just a second to figure them out before they try to grab me. I hate it when my eye hurts from that virus thingy I got as a kitten but my mom puts cool eye drops in it and that helps. I really don't like it when my sister tries to push me around, but I now have permission to push her back.  I used to be so careful because she was so little. Not anymore!

Oh, and I HATE it when Mom and Dad go out of town. Though I have a human brother who is a great pet sitter, and now a new girl also sits with me. She is what is called a neighbor - her name is Sophia, which must be Italian for nice- and she is very sweet to me. She loves to play with cat toys, too, though I am not sure what she gets out of it.

If you asked my Mom to describe me, she'd say "India is a big furry ball of sweetness".  How great is that??

That is my intro. I hope you liked it!