Striking a Balance

My wife thought that we were only fostering Josephine, a beautiful Maine Coon cat that had become the center of controversy in a long court battle in my town. I was asked if I could give this cat a home, and I said we could do so. When I told my wife Kim that we were being considered for the position of caretaker for this cat, I found myself in some very hot water with her. Although it’s not as hot as it started out to be, it’s still quite warm at times.

My wife and I don’t argue, shout or yell in the room where the cats are. The reason behind that decision is quite simple, our first cat Misty responds to our stress levels by peeing on the carpet. So Kim and I have learned over time to control our emotions.

I didn’t think that given everything poor Josephine had been subjected to would be helped by two people who wanted to do the right thing, arguing in front of her. Not the best way to welcome her into our home. So Kim and I discussed the matter quite thoroughly beforehand. After the conversation was over, I knew Josie would be staying. This feeling was clinched when Kim declared that “I get to name her.”

A few months previously, my Wife and I had adopted another cat. Bari came from the very same home where we had gotten Zoey. He was an all-boy, all-kitten and your feet he thought were the best play toys in the world. Woe unto whoever’s feet passed by him or anyone who moved anything under a blanket. This kitten was too much kitten for my wife to handle and she had even suggested that we take him back to Linda. Bari would be surrendered only over my dead body! I love that boy!

Zoey had been putting on weight; the hazards of road travel and my weakness at giving her only the best treats and food while we were traveling. But the vet warned me about the problems of obesity in cats- (diabetes, thyroid problems even kidney shut-down!) And so I decided to leave Zoey at home with Kim and introduce Bari to travels with Poppa! Zoey was not happy about this decision, but we felt that with her able to run around the house and play with the other cats, as well as safely cut down on the amount of food she was getting, that this would benefit her in the long run and she could begin to travel with me again.

Bari and I got along great on the first solo run. He did have the initial trepidation of the foreign environment of the truck cab, but then he settled in and actually liked having his human with him 24-7. But I missed Zoey and fought the guilt overcoming me because I didn’t have her along. As much as I love Bari, that was always overshadowed by the feeling that Zoey was my first cat and the truck wasn’t the same without her.

Meanwhile back at home, Zoey wasn’t a very happy camper and she set about making everyone else unhappy as well. Zoey wanted all of my wife’s attention, began trying to “dethrone” our first cat Misty from her position as “first cat”, picked on Serenity, our second cat and terrorized the newcomer poor Katchinia to the point where she decided the safest place away from this tortie terror was under our bed. Meanwhile, Bari and I were happy and running the highway oblivious to the problems at home.

My wife became dismayed that Zoey wasn’t losing the weight she needed to lose. The vet had said that if the weight wasn’t lost over time, we would be wise to admit her to the clinic where they would put her on a crash diet consisting of nothing else but a fortified water solution, an unacceptable alternative for us.

We couldn’t figure out why Zoey wasn’t losing weight, until the wife discovered that Zoey was eating the high-calorie kitten food we were feeding to Katchinia! No wonder Zoey was gaining weight!

When I arrived home with Bari, I awoke the next morning to find Zoey was lying on my chest, purring like she had done when she was aboard the truck. Kim, waking up beside me said “Boy, she really loves you.” I asked her why she said that and she replied, “Zoey has been watching for you every day that you were gone, and now you are home, she is claiming her rightful spot.”

I said that Zoey knew I loved her, but I wasn’t aware of how much she thought of me, since who can really tell what a cat is really thinking?

That’s when my Wife pointed out something that I never realized, “Jimmy, you’re the one who raised Zoey, of course she’s going to bond to you.”

My Wife was right of course, I’d raised Zoey since she was a kitten and I also realized that I’d pretty much raised Bari, too. What to do?

My Wife and I had a long sit-down, heart-to-heart talk and the first thing we decided that no matter what, we were keeping all of our cats. Each one is special to us for the reasons that make them unique and different and we had made a commitment to each one for a lifetime of care.

But we had to strike the right balance between their needs and our sanity. Bari kept Kim awake all night, and Zoey was a tyrant and as a result, the other three cats were going to be unhappy with whomever I left behind-so it was decided that from now on both Zoey and Bari would travel with me.

I was a little worried that Zoey and Bari might not get along, but both Bari and Zoey are strong-willed cats and one isn’t going to take abuse from the other. They’d have to learn to respect each others space and we’d all learn to make the adjustments needed to have harmony on the road. Having given Bari the same training that I’d given Zoey, he had adjusted pretty well to life on the road; the trick here was going to be constantly monitoring both of them, while driving the truck and keeping it clean. The cats would have to re-learn together what I’d taught them individually, but with a lot of hope, I packed up both Zoey and Bari and we all hit the road.

It turned out to be the best decision my Wife and I could have made. We had struck the right balance for the number of cats we could effectively care for and we found out which cats were happiest where. The water isn’t so warm now after all, and the home and the cab of the truck now hums in harmony and peace.