In January 2010, Snicklefritz (Fritz), Andy and I welcomed a new kitty into our home.
We call her Emma, but the name given to her at Feline Friends was MJ, the initials of a long-time Feline Friends volunteer and supporter who died at the same time that MJ was found.
She was brought to Feline Friends after being hit by a car in the fall of 2010 when she was still a small kitten (4-5 months). The accident caused neurological damage so she is blind in one eye and has very low vision in the other. She also had to have her jaw re-set. By the time I met her, her jaw looked a little less crooked than it did in the first photo I saw of her. Her foster mom, an amazing Feline Friends volunteer, spoon-fed Emma while her jaw was wired shut and healing. Since Emma tested positive for FIV, and there are very few people who adopt FIV+ cats, Jo at Feline Friends knew who to call.
Even before I met her, her foster mom, Jo and I knew Emma & Andy would become great playmates & cuddle buddies. They had the same play preferences and both seemed to want a buddy. Sure enough, it only took a few days for those two to be joined at the hip. They were grooming, wrestling (their favorite form of play is bunny-kicking each other’s faces), chasing, ambushing, and cuddling one another. Andy is a doting big brother who hates to be separated from his precious little sister.
Emma’s arrival gave old gruncle (that’s my word for grumpy uncle) Fritz a break. He was finally able to sit back and watch the youngsters with much judgment. I could just imagine him thinking things like “silly young whippersnappers, they have SO much to learnâ€.
Emma is small and her meows & chirps sound like a 2-3 week old kitten. She’s extremely affectionate and playful. She’s now the spitting image of Meek, Fritz’ littermate, whom she never met. He would’ve adored her, I’m sure.
I knew about her arrival about a week before she came home and I tried to prepare my home for a visually impaired cat, but in the first night I thought of a few more things I could do to make life easier for her. (I plan to blog about some of those) I’m sure learning a lot because of this little beauty!
(More photos of Emma)
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