Friday the 13th: I Love My Black Cat!

Since its a day of superstition, I decided to feature my black kitty Phoebe Buffay.   Yes, she was named after the character on the TV show "Friends" (I also have a Chandler Bing). 
  
I spent many years working as a Veterinary Technician at a local animal hospital.  One of my favorite parts of the job was taking in stray kittens.  I helped care for and bottle feed MANY over the years.  I loved being able to get them healthy and then find them homes.  Of course there were the ones that really tugged at my heart strings and hitched a ride home with me (a total of 6).   My first "to keep" kitten was Tony, an orange tabby that I was bottle feeding.  Very sadly, I had to have him put to sleep at age 3 weeks, because he developed pneumonia (most likely from aspirating milk from the bottle).   That was heart wrenching!  After a period of healing, another little kitten climbed into my heart.  We had a litter of 3 black kittens and 1 tabby that had just came into the hospital.  Every time I walked into the kennel room, this one black kitten would SCREAM for me to come hold her.   Well, that was my Phoebe.   She came home with me at the age of 4 weeks old and a weight of 2 pounds. She earned her name by getting her whole body covered in stinky canned cat food when she ate.  "Smelly cat, smelly cat..."  


Phoebe is going to be 9 years old in August 2012.  She is a very calm, quiet, sweet cat.   Her biggest struggle in life is epilepsy.  This is very rare in cats.  She is the first case my vets have seen. If she is not on medication, she will seizure at least once daily.  This is the most horrible thing to watch!  We keep towels within reach and if we hear banging, we run to wrap her up and hold her until it is over. Luckily, she has not had a seizure in a long time with medication.  She is extremely good at the vet for her blood work and check ups.  Poor babe doesn't deserve such a nasty disease!   

Moral of the story is that black cats are not evil or bad luck.  They make fantastic companions! Phoebe wouldn't hurt a fly.  I love my girl and her sleek black fur.   =)  Happy Friday The 13th!