Getting to know our Cats

I wanted to share with our group our precious cats who are our world. Since our children are grown our cats have become our fur babies. Some people think that cats are not as cool as dogs or that they don’t miss us when gone or communicate as good as dogs. So I wanted to take a moment and introduce everyone to our fur babies. When we leave the house and they are not with us we have to say goodbye to each one of them by name. They also require a hug and kiss and their tv put on before we leave. If we don’t they get very sad and cry which lasts for about 20 minuets sometimes. We have cat cameras now where we can check on them and interact with them when we are gone and also a whole set of shows for them on YouTube that are made for cats that we put on before we leave. This helps keep them happy and entertained. When we get home the same routine happens, they each want to be picked up, kissed, hugged and talked to. Once all this is done everyone gets into their spots and we settle in.

Mowzer – He came to us as a 7 week old kitten that someone had abandoned with his 2 sisters. I remember the day like it was yesterday. My niece who was 8 at the time called me asking me to come over because she heard kitten cries and noticed them. When I arrived Mowzer and his sisters were in great need. So we got food for them to set them up in hopes of getting them the nourishment they needed and healthy to grow up. We sought the help of animal rescues for help but no one had room to help care for them and my poor niece and I were a little out of our league on knowing what to do. Unfortunately his sisters passed away. Since this time I have made it a point to learn all I can about immediate care for animals who are in need to help future rescues.

We then took Mowzer back home with us, we bottle fed him just as if he was an infant. He would get cleaned by us, fed and cared for around the clock. It didn’t take long for him to start gaining weight and showing his personality. He quickly became part of the clan. He became really close with our 2 dogs at the time a Wolf Hybrid and a Husky, so close that he thought he was one of the dogs! Shortly after Mowzer joined us we got into racing which my husband Cole Turner will talk about in his Auto Racing blog and it was not long before Mowzer was part of the pit crew. He went to every race with us riding in the truck and hanging with us in the travel trailer. He loved being anyplace we were and loved being in the truck driving places. When we made pit stops he was sure to great everyone he saw walk by the car, just as if he was a dog.
In 2021 he had a accident and was attacked by a rattle snake on our back patio one afternoon. It was close, we were not sure if he would make it. We were so lucky to be able to get him to the animal emergency room where they took awesome care of him. We are very grateful and lucky to still have him with us today. He will be celebrating his 6th birthday this March 2024. It was a very scary time and even though we took all kinds of precautions to keep him and us safe when outside together, sometimes its not enough out here; nature has a way of surprising you and reminding you whose boss. I am sure we will have future talks about that too.

Jackie – He came to us in 2022 as a rescue from one of the local animal rescue groups at Sun Cities 4 Paws rescue. Jackie is almost 2 1/2 years old. I remember I first saw him 2 weeks before we got him and his sister Baby Girl who we will introduce to you next. The rescue group brings their cats into one of the local Petsmart stores by us. I was shopping for Mowzers food when I decided to walk by the adoption windows. I couldn’t help but notice these two, I was drawn to them. Unfortunately I did not have the money at the time to get them as I was in-between paychecks. So I visited with the girl and the cats for a while. I wished everyone the best and prayed they would find good homes. Well, 2 weeks later I went back this time with Cole and had to see if they were still there. I was hoping they had found homes but also hoping not so I could take them home. To my surprise they were both still there; Baby Girl was hiding under a blanket and Jackie was rubbing on the glass just wanting anyone to love him. So in we rushed to see them both.

In there it was instant love, Jackie looked at Cole and that was it. Jackie walked up to us and started talking, he then stood on his back legs and wanted to be picked up. When Cole picked him up he gave a hug and instantly started purring. We knew we wanted them both but the lady kept telling us that Jackie didn’t get along with other cats although while we were in there both Baby Girl and Jackie were out of their cages and getting along. It took a little convincing but they let us adopt both cats. We were excited to bring them both home. BTW no fights, they instantly loved each other and were happy to be in their new homes and out of the store glass cages waiting for their forever homes. Yeah!!!! They were ours to love.

Jackie is a very interesting character, first he has this face that when he looks at you all you see is a toddler. It is the strangest thing, his eyes are just so full of life, love and curiosity like that of a little toddler. It is as if the soul of a toddler is deep within him, maybe it is; I am one who believes that there is so much more to life then what we experience in this life as a human. I know there is a life outside of this one but we will talk about that in another post I am sure. When Jackie looks at you and talks, you just melt and can’t help but listen to every word he is saying before talking back with him. He will walk up to you and want to be held. For this he will get on his back legs and do this superman stretch for you to pick him up just like a toddler wanting to be picked up by someone they love. Then once you pick him up he starts to pur and gives you hugs then nuzzle kisses in your ear. I tell you he just melts my heart every day. He even sits in a chair next to us when we eat and he will eat his food just like he is human. This is a requirement for him if we are eating dinner, lunch or breakfast at the table.

Baby Girl – She came to us in 2022 as a rescue from one of the local animal rescue groups at Sun Cities 4 Paws rescue . Baby Girl is almost 4 years old. I remember I first saw her 2 weeks before we got her and her brother Jackie. The rescue group brings their cats into one of the local Petsmart stores by us. I was shopping for Mowzers food when I decided to walk by the adoption windows. I couldn’t help but notice these two I was drawn to them. Unfortunately I did not have the money at the time to get them as I was in-between paychecks. So I visited with the lady and the cats for a while. I wished everyone the best and prayed they would find good homes. Well, 2 weeks later I went back this time with Cole and had to see if they were still there. I was hoping they had found homes but also hoping not so I could take them home. To my surprise they were both still there; Baby Girl was hiding under a blanket and Jackie was rubbing on the glass just wanting anyone to love him. So in we rushed in to see them both.

Baby Girl is a little shy compared to her brother Jackie but she is coming out of her shell more and more as the months go by. She loves to play and sneek attack her brothers, I think it is a daily goal of hers to crack out a few times a day chasing them. She loves to climb and be up high, this year when we brought out the christmas tree, she climbed to the top instantly and when Cole tried to take her out man did she throw a fit. We have made sure to put in lots of high places for her so that she can act like she is in a jungle and exploring. She loves to lay next to you and just be close enough to feel your touch but not too close to where you are holding her. She loves to know that you are there and she is safe. She has to be in whatever room you are in and in a spot where she can be comfortable yet also know that you are there in sight. She loves to have her morning cuddles but you have to be standing and when you hold her she wants her feet covered and her head on your shoulder. She also has this strange desire to drink 90% of the time straight from the faucet. She will drink from the water container but she loves her sink and makes you turn it on so she can drink. She is such a sweet girl and it is so cool to see her come out of her shell more and more each month and start to enjoy being loved. We are not sure what happened before we got her but the start of her life before rescue must have been rough.

One thing is for sure though, we love all 3 of our cats and they are just like children to us. We hate traveling without them but one of the things we have noticed is it is hard to find places that we can stay with them. Hotels, rentals of all kinds and so much more do not like to let you stay with them and have a cat. Everywhere seems to be ok with a dog but try to stay anywhere that you don’t own with your loved cat and its impossible. The places that do let you stay with them charge a lot, so many times we find we don’t travel as much because we want them with us. We are working to save up money to get into a travel trailer or rv so that we can move from our over priced house rental and into a travel trailer so we can be with them and enjoy traveling. Not to mention save money up because lets face it, life is expensive and it is hard to just survive let alone save money up to buy things like a travel trailer or rv. We dont need anything high priced just clean, safe and reliable so we can live in it and travel. I hope to have topics about travel life and living in a travel trailer while exploring all the beautiful places in the US in the near future, well I pray that it will happen.

I hope everyone enjoys meeting our cats and getting to know us a little more.