indexkitty.htm

Keeley, Cat Executive Officer of RindaRealm, link to cats that paint, MONPA

Keeley, the CEO of RindaRealm!

(Scroll down for links to charities and fun things!)

Keeley, a feral kitten of about six months, was nearly dead from starvation and infection when I picked her up and put her inside my jacket. She never struggled or scratched me. Instead, she started purring! Keeley has gained about three pounds since then, but she never grew any bigger than a six-month-old kitten size due to her severe malnutrition in kittenhood. She survived many months of near-constant diarrhea ( I went through bags and bags of baby wipes!) and a bout of severe pneumonia to become a civilized, loving, tiny cat with excellent house manners. The name "Keeley" is gaelic in origin and means "slender, fair one." Keeley's full name is Tigger Keeley Cloud Dancer! She has never lost her kitten ways and still loves to chase shadows, bits of sunlight, and--sometimes--her own tail! She can do this easily because she has an unusually long, skinny tail.

Keeley's official "desk" sits behind my computer monitor. Here, she supervises me and keeps a lookout for birds, squirrels, and other cats. She has a cat run to play in outside, but she prefers to stay inside, close to me, for most of the day. Her woolen blanket is knitted in striped squares and has been washed many times until the wool felted (shrunk), making it sturdy and warm. I found the blanket in a thrift store and hope to make one like it some day.

Keeley really likes her "bankie" and being a CEO, but she hates crows, other striped cats, and possums and will growl if she sees them. Keeley is also still shy of adult strangers, but she will let strange children pet her. Somehow, she's not afraid of their high-pitched, excited voices and small, eager hands.

The tip of Keeley's ear was cut off by someone who caught her when she was a kitten. That person then had her spayed and released her back into the "wild." In Keeley's case, the "wild" was a highly polluted, strip of grass and trees next to a four-lane highway. A cut-off ear tip is done like this to mark a cat that is feral--an unwanted cat born out-of-doors--a cat that is supposedly too wild to ever be kept as a pet. A person who does this "ear-tipping" foolishly thinks that this is a kind alternative to humanely killing unwanted, feral cats.

What really happens when a feral cat or kitten is neutered or spayed and then released "back into the wild?" Most cats, especially most kittens, do not survive many months before dying often painful, horrible deaths from starvation, accidents with cars, or poison or infections. The estimated life span of any cat kept outdoors is less than five years.

If cats are kept indoors, with access to large, sheltered cat runs where they can enjoy being out-of-doors safely, with fresh pots of grass to nibble on and another cat or two for company, they may live up to twenty years--happy, loving, and content. When, if necessary, an indoors cat may need to be put to sleep, this can be done painlessly under the care of a good cat doctor and in the loving arms of an owner.

Keeley has been a spectacular exception to the "older feral kittens can't be tamed" myth. True, she was very shy at first, and getting her to trust us took a long time. She was with us for eighteen months before she, of her own accord, hopped into my lap one day and snuggled there. What a delight that was to experience! Now, every time I sit down, it is hard to keep Keeley off my lap! She loves to "talk" back and forth with me with special meyows that she uses just with me.

Keeley also loves to bring me "presents," such as her "mouse" toys or bits of wadded-up paper. Sometimes, at night, or when I am gone from home for a long while, Keeley will leave me several of these "presents" downstairs, all neatly arranged in places where I am sure to see them! Her favorite play-partner is Shasta, our big, black, copper-eyed, ultra-gentle, male cat who is twice Keeley's size. Guess who wins their cat wrestling matches? And Keeley's favorite food? Dry cat food!