"Bud Bud"

Yep, Zoe is my cat. She is also known by countless "other" names as well: Bud Bud, Zoe Bud, Kitty of Joy, Fur-Ball, "That damn cat' and I think you get the drift...And this poor creature has had the misfortune of having me as an owner for all of her, I'm not quite sure 15-16 years. That's right, I don't quite recall when we found her but I know it had to be some time in 1995 or 96.

She was a barn cat, living wild in the huge old basement barn we had out by the place I call "The House On the Hill". An old brick home built in 1878, I wish I had a pic handy but I don't. Anyway, my ex-wife M was walking our 3 German Shepherds and came across little Zoe in an old bath tub in the basement of the barn. She had clearly fallen from the nesting area upstairs where she had been born because she was only 2-3 weeks old at the time. M found her before the dogs did and let's just say that was a good thing. Her life would have been rather short...

Well we decided to keep her, what else could we do. She had fleas and was not weened from her mother. We took her to the vet, found out how we had to feed her, etc then took her home and mothered her until she could eat solid food on her own. She has always been a very skittish cat and I believe her experience in the barn, etc. is the main reason for that...

We had another cat at the time and thankfully things worked out between the two of them. When M left, I kept Zoe...I really don't recall much of the decision making process...I was in the midst of my final year and a half of drinking/drugging and do not have a clear recollection of any of that time. Anyway, Zoe stayed with me....

It's funny but Zoe has been with me through thick and thin. I honestly treated that cat better then I was treating myself. Oddly, I did not care for cats until I got married. M had one and they were a package deal. Up until that time I was strictly a "dog person" but the kitty's kind of grew on me. They are much easier to take care of then dogs (all of my cats have been declawed indoor cats) and I'll let anyone who has never owned a cat in on a little secret:

When you are sick or lonely, feeling down or stressed...there is nothing like the feeling of laying down or snuggling on the sofa or big chair with your big fur-ball of a cat. She always seemed to know when I was troubled...I'm not kidding. I would not see her around all day, I get a nasty phone call or bad news and she would be there. Same when I was sick...it's unconditional love and I think that is one of the greatest benefits of  having a pet. They are always there and Zoe-Bud has always been there for me.

Yes, there are times when I would have liked to strangle her (because cats are totally independent and mischievous as hell!) but I could never be too annoyed w/her for long.

So today, the first blog of the day honor goes to my kitty-cat...Zoe.