We would like to introduce to you, an addition to our little family by the sea, Zula, our four month old Abyssinian kitten. At barely three pounds she is, as F exclaimed, the best therapy any retired couple could ever hope for.

As some of you may or may not know, this has been a very long planning period.  Several years ago while still those boat people, we both followed the blog, Bailey Boat Cat, and thought it would be fun to have an onboard pet.  But there was the issue of F’s allergies…dogs, horses, dust, mold and above all cats.  There was the time when visiting family that he couldn’t breathe, the reaction was so severe.

In spite of this he was keen to give it a try.  His criteria was simple…pure bred.  So we did research and settled on the one breed that we thought would fit into our lives.  Abys are very social and adaptable. They are very intelligent and more like dogs in nature. And we found they love water.  Sounded like the perfect fit.

I located a local cattery in Quebec and arranged for a visit.  F decided to go medication naked…no antihistamines to test the waters. There had to have been at least a dozen critters roaming around the breeder’s kitchen. One dear old thirteen year old was obsessed with him and wouldn’t stop caressing his face and neck.  No bronchial reaction…just a couple of welts on F’s neck from all the licking.  It was all I could do to keep him from taking one of the babies home with us.  But it wasn’t the right time..what if we wanted to be away from the boat for the day.  We couldn’t just leave the kitten onboard all locked up and for sure would never leave a pure bred animal free to roam the marina by itself. So we put the thought away.

With the sale of RED and purchase of RED II, the topic resurfaced.  We could think of no reason not to move forward. We found a local breeder and sent an email ‘feeler’, you know, just to see where it would take us.  Well, didn’t she have one female kitten ready for adoption.  A ruddy, rich caramel coat, just the colour we both loved. And golden eyes. The breeder wanted to know a little about us first to make sure the fit was right so I sent a response outlining our current lifestyle.

Zula Road Warrior

Once we saw that sweet face there was no turning back.  With melting hearts we took our little fur baby home.  She took a couple of  days to get used to her new home.  Every sound, every smell seemed to disturb her but by the second day she was considerably more calm, exploring every inch of the house.

Room with a View

By the time we had visitors she was ready to participate in whatever was going on.

Monkey Time

We gradually got her accustomed, introducing what would hopefully become her travel backpack.  Bike rides and hiking with us, we hope, will be in her future.

Back Packing

Getting used to water may take some time though.  For now a dripping faucet is about all she can handle…but it keeps her well hydrated.

Bath Time

Of course F thought his baby should have all the best.  New toys and a climbing tree.

Curious Helper

It has been placed by the window overlooking Duck Pond so she can keep an eye on our feathered visitors…

Test

The tree top, is now her favourite spot to observe her universe…

Success

F even put in a pet door for easy access to the litter box in the basement and it took no time at all before she had mastered the ins and outs…

Cat Door

Next came familiarity with RED II as Zula will definitely be coming camping with us this summer.  After bringing it back from de-winterizing we parked it so our petite madame could still have her favourite view of Duck Pond and take naps in the sun.

Camping with a View

I thought some fresh air would be appreciated while setting up the camper but it wasn’t too long before she found a new way to access the upper cabinets.  There is also a small pass-through section in the screen door which she apparently can now open by herself so will have to be extra careful.

Ninja Cat

Her spaying operation is scheduled in two months with a chip inserted in case she gets lost but in the mean time getting her used to a harness and leash will be important so we and she can enjoy some outdoor activities.

Harness Training

We spent several days outfitting the camper for the season with some quiet time for F to work on his latest boat model….cat supervised of course.

Model Building

Cat Heaven

She hasn’t quite grabbed the concept of sleeping inside the sleeping bag but she seems to like it for taking naps.

Just Me and the Pig

As always we really appreciate you dropping by to catch up.  No doubt there will be more to write about this year with antics of Zula the Road Warrior to take up the slack where Major Pig (ret’d) left off.  Stay tuned…

…peace and love…