Cat of the Month: October 2016

By Rainier Veterinary Hospital Cats cat of the month, foreign body surgery

How does our Cat of the Month program work? Each staff member provides a nomination for the distinguished honor, and then we vote. The highest vote wins! Any kitty patients who visit us during the prior month are eligible. Our October 2016 winner is a true Friend.

Joey

In late May, Carli Wall’s dad found a litter of feral kittens underneath a chicken coop outside his house in Kenmore. So Carli and her roommate stepped up to adopt two of the kittens. Big Friends fans, the two gals wanted to give a shout-out to the show. Carli’s roommate named her kitty Phoebe, and Carli—who, at the time, thought her kitty was a boy—named him Joey. Surprise! Joey is a girl. “But I thought the name was really cute, so I kept it,” Carli says.

Joey was adopted at just three weeks old, and Carli bottle-fed her KMR Kitten Milk Replacement for a few weeks. Then Carli transitioned Joey to wet food, and now the 4-month-old kitten is on hard food.

Also answering to the name Jo-Jo, little Joey is both frisky and snuggly. “She plays hard and intensely,” Carli says, “but she wants a lot of downtime. She loves to cuddle and give kisses. To let you know she wants kisses, she touches her nose to your nose or lips. She doesn’t lick you, but she lets you know she’s giving you a kiss. It’s like an Eskimo kiss.”

Joey’s sister, Phoebe, is definitely her best friend and favorite thing in the world—above toys and food. “They just don’t seem to need anything else,” says Carli, who works from home three days a week and sees them play and cuddle with each other all day.

But Joey got herself into a little bit of trouble. As curious a kitten as there ever was, Joey climbed on top of the refrigerator to do some “investigating.” On top of the fridge, Carli had an air plant from IKEA. “I thought it was out of reach, because I’d never seen them get up on the refrigerator, but I guess I was wrong,” Carli explains.

Once Joey had her paws on the plant, she started eating as much as she could. “She really had to work to get in there,” Carli says, “because she got all the way to the bottom of the pot.” Poor Joey had to have surgery to remove the plant, but she’s recovering amazingly! “She’s eating, drinking, and pooping normally,” Carli says. “She’s even more lovey-dovey than before. She was always lovey-dovey, but it’s more so. She loves kisses and cuddles and being held. It’s like she’s so appreciative and loves the quality time.”

In fact, despite her minor mischief on the fridge, Carli says that Joey is the most well-behaved pet she’s ever had, and she’s had a lot of dogs and cats. “She’s loving and she likes to play, but she knows when it’s time to go to bed and wind down. She’s very intuitive. Joey is awesome, and I love her!”