Quick update on Her Highness. She’s doing really well. Took her to the vet for her second set up shots and everything is okay. She’s 4.5 pounds now. We decided we’re going to definitely keeping her even though it’s going to stress our finances a bit having a third cat.
I’ll post more pix later this week.
Thanks for all the emails of support and for sharing all your stories with me. I hope I can get some time to answer everyone. For now, it’s very appreciated.
Antonio
Found your post through a friend of a friend of a friend, and have been delighted and enjoying the Mercedes updates ever since. She is a beautiful kitty and from the wonderful shots you’ve taken she remind me of my own little calico squeakerdoodle, Cassandra (so called because like her mythical namesake she always has something very urgent and important to tell us, but we’ll never be able to understand her!). The Squeaker, as we call her, was originally a rescue kitten, less than a year old with kittens of her own. (Kittens having kittens…oh, the humanity!)
I don’t know what it is about calico cats, but every one I’ve ever encountered has had a forceful and very proprietary personality. I met her in the adoptable kitties room at our local Petsmart, and when I said goodbye and went to leave the room she started to cry, so I sent a picture of her to my husband, who was on the road in New Mexico at the time, and he told me to go ahead and take her home. Now, when I’m at home, wherever I’m seated, she must be surgically attached to me. I have never met such an affectionate little cat, and Mercedes looks and seems to be very much like her–I can just tell by the way she sprawls in your lap with her paw on your wrist and her eyes half-closed. It is absolutely clear that she has claimed you for her own. I’m so glad that you’re able to keep her!
We’ve found that really, the difference between two cats and three in terms of cost is actually pretty negligible. Do keep an eye out for parasites like roundworms and tapeworms when cleaning the litterbox, however–stray kittens are prone to them (they get infected from their mothers, while nursing) and sometimes harbor their eggs for more than a year. They’re easily (and cheaply) treated, but it can still be an unpleasant surprise if you’re not prepared, and of course you want to make sure they don’t affect your other cats. Just a bit of experience-based advice…but enjoy Mercedes, and bless you all!
Saw your story from FB. What a start for this little guy. Thank you for saving her life!