Suzie Q

Well, it’s been over 2 years since we adopted Suzie Q from UPAWS and we wanted to let you know how she is doing. When our beloved Maggie May died, we wanted another female kitty to keep our female calico Macey Lou company. (Never mind that Macey Lou had never shown any inclination on being a friend to Maggie May.)
We selected a beautiful kitty Sissy and brought her home, wondering about the odd name. Then we found out. The previous owners had stated that she loved cats, dogs, anyone & would fit in anywhere. Suzie spent the first few months in our bedroom closet, being carried into the bathroom to the litter box and to eat. Our other cats (Bo, Dewey and Macey Lou) thought it was a fun game to chase poor Suzie, who was petrified of any other cat. I began carrying Suzie out to the living room to sit with me in the evening, cradled on my lap. She spent most of the time with her head buried in the crook of my arm, shivering.
But after a few months, Suzie began demanding to increase her territory. Now she was roaming in the back half of our house, hiding only when she saw another cat. Another few months go by and she is comfortable in the other half of the house, refusing to go back into the bedroom area. Still afraid of the other cats.
But in the last few months she has stood her ground when the other cats are near & goes back & forth from one part of the house to another. She comes in to snuggle with us in bed & sits on the window perch to see what she can see! And like all cats, her favorite place is laying on the crossword puzzle you are working on or on your book or magazine. But then she looks up at you & you remember that your primary purpose is to admire her beauty and pet her.
So, although all has worked out great with our Suzie, it should be a reminder to those who have to give up a pet. Please be honest about the personality of your pet & what they do & don’t like and can tolerate. Even though we went to a lot of extra work to get her integrated into our family, Suzie went through a year of being afraid and uncomfortable despite our best efforts.
Suzie is very happy now, loves her new life & we love her!

Karen & Joe Rhodes