My sister, Joyce, is a career-oriented, married, mother of three. She is well dressed, intelligent and compassionate. Joyce is also a Cat Lady. She's not your typical run of the mill cat lady, known for spinsterhood and an inability to sustain deep relationships. She's more of a crazy cat lady; the kind that just can't say "no" when confronted with a pitiful homeless cat or feral kitten. She's responsible, always taking these little creatures to the vet and puts out enormous amounts of money to ensure they survive and find a home. The truth is, many of them come to Joyce then never leave. Recently, we tried to count the number of cats that have passed through her house over the last 10 years. We came up with 20 but I'm certain that we haven't remembered them all.
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| Joyce the Crazy Cat Lady |
The first adoption was back in the late 80's when Joyce was in college and found Ukey, (short for UCONN) in the barn on campus. She took this all white deaf kitten to her dorm room, (totally against the rules), and kept it there until she could bring it home.
Joyce had one cat that was a planned adoption. Twinks was a sweet kitty that came to my sister from Tennessee. Joyce heard about him from someone who knew someone who was looking for a home for a kitten in Tennessee. For the record, Joyce has a dog too. Her name is Minnie. She came from the Caribbean Island of Anguilla! There are no boundaries for a rescue with Joyce!
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| Minnie |
Finster was a feral orange tabby that Joyce picked up off the side of the road. Finster was afraid of everyone and everything. He would only allow my niece near him but drove her crazy with his persistent attempts at sleeping on her head.
Twinks and Finster are both gone now but they lived long lives at my sister's house. During this time, a pitiful little white stray knocked on the back door and my mother let him in. They named him Abu. His medical needs cost my sister a chunk of money but he's still a member of the crazy cat lady family. Joyce says he belongs to our mom, so he doesn't count, but we all know she couldn't ever put him out. Without a doubt, he counts.
Over time, there was Dunkin and Donut who got their name because they were delivered to Joyce in a Dunkin Donuts box. Our uncle knew that Joyce would take care of them when he found them abandoned by their feral mother. They were tiny, one week old kittens. Dunkin did not survive but Donut was renamed Dory when I adopted her and took her back to Minnesota. She is the queen of our castle there.
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| Dory |
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| Dory when she arrived at 1 week old |
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| Dory at 6 weeks |
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| Carl & Clyde |
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| Tubby |
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| Huggy |
Joyce took in a litter of five grey kittens after adopting Huggy and Tubby. She managed to find homes for all five of them. It probably helped that she made sure they had their first shots and were vet checked; and, the fact that she abstained from naming this batch may have made it easier to let them go. Joyce's friends have asked where she finds all these kitties. I'm pretty sure they find HER!
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| One of Five Matching Kittens |
Joyce has five felines in the house right now. Abu is the oldest and very shy. He keeps to himself and does not interact with the others. Huggy is a sweet young adult who is teaching the smaller kitties the way of the land. There are two 12 week old kittens Joyce named Lenny and Squiggy; adorable and playful, they fit right in with Huggy. The most recent addition is a tiny kitten referred to at the vet as YAC. YAC is about 6 weeks old. He was born outside to a feral mama. He has a bad eye. When Joyce got to the vet she noticed the paperwork referred to him as YAC. She thought it odd that the Vet would name her new kitten. When she asked about it they said that YAC stands for "Yet another cat".
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| Squiggy & Lenny |
Did I mention that all of these rescues have issues of one kind or another. Whether it's 6 toes, 1 eye or no ear, they are cherished members of the "Joyce" litter. She tells us these cats are regal and direct descendants of Ernest Hemingway's six-toed cats!
We make fun of Joyce all the time about the cats she collects. She says she is looking for new homes for them but often they arrive and stay. I guess I understand how she feels about these vulnerable little creatures. Years ago, a feral cat was living outside of where I worked. My friend Joni would bring water and food every day so this cat didn't starve. I would make sure the kitty was fed when Joni was out of the office. Our boss found the food one day and asked us if we were feeding the feral cat. We looked at each other and then at him and said "Nope".
I've taken to the little guy referred to as YAC. I've started to call him Finn. Dave recognizes that look in my eye and reminds me that we can't take him back to the boat in Mississippi. Maybe this crazy cat lady thing runs in the family...
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| Joyce and a couple of her furry friends |
UPDATE: Only one day after publishing this post, Joyce brought home another sweet kitten. She named her Laverne!
You rock, Joyce! A belated Happy Thanksgiving and a bunch of hugs to all!
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