Give it a couple of more weeks and she will be even more part of the family and show you her thanks for being her angle.

I have enjoy reading your story. My Sassy Girl has been missing and gives me hope that if she can not make it home that she is in home like yours.

Please keep us update on your new member of the family and how everyone is getting along.

Yesterday *I think* I saw Sable trying to PLAY with Luna!! She chased her, and at first I thought it was an attack-flee thing, since it started with Luna hissing. But as they came around the corner, Sable's tail was straight up, and her ears were forward! Friendly postures, not aggressive ones. I was thrilled! Sable's been watching how Luna and Rohan play with each other, and I think she was trying to copy the behavior. Her gait was loping, not hunter-speed. Now for Luna to notice the difference and return the favor!

Here she is soaking up the sun. You can see her fur is still rumply, in need of Rohan's cat-washing service, if she'd just let him. (The weird line at her hips is a combination of the shade line and the missing fur from where the mats were cut off.)

And another view.... ~Kimberly

FINALLY bathed her. She was awesome, just patiently sat and let me shampoo her. I just got dressed into sweats, laid a towel down in the tub, and climbed in with her. I poured warm water from pitchers over her as she sat between my legs. Because I was totally committed to getting soaked, I just snuggled her up close to me and she just let me wash her. Near the end I got a low growl from her, but overall she was amazing. Now that she's dry (courtesy of the rug in front of the woodstove), I've been brushing her. My goodness she's silky soft!!! As soon as I have a picture, I'll post it. Tonight she sat on my lap a long time, and I swear I heard "ahhhhhhhhh..." ~Kimbermama

Loved the bath description! When my new one came home and smelled of the shelter, the vet suggested getting Cat Wipes at Petsmart. It is a way to wipe them off like a bath without water. It worked pretty good. You may want to think about getting some for the future...although you sounded like you did have fun sharing the tub with your little one!

The other way I used to semi-bathe my 3 kittens years ago was to get a handcloth washrag, soak it in water and squeeze out the excess. The cats would let me wipe them down. That's what I use now when Lucky needed some liquid medicine and what dripped onto his fur was sticky and sweet smelling. I always read how cats do not like water so I just thought around it but the way you just jumped in made me smile.

Looking forward to the picture.............

Oh she's so soft! Her head had a gritty-powdery feel, and her neck & belly had a vague greasy-gummy feel. Now she's all silky. ~Kim

Oh Kim

She is such a beauty. What a great picture. Sounds like you guys had fun in the bath. Sometimes there really is nothing to do but give them a good bath. You guys are so lucky to have found each other.

Love

Beautiful picture! She has those "special" eyes.

Kim,

It's amazing the transformation you've done on her!

Okay, I'm taking a cue from the gent who wrote "Confession" (see Death and Dying), and Paris' reluctant disclosure about Bennett.

I've been struggling with feelings of not wanting Sable in my home.

Luna, Rohan, and Willow all guardedly walk past her, because she stares them down and lashes out sometimes. The warily pass by, tense and back stiff. There haven't been a lot of fistfights, but the honeymoon is definitely over, and sometimes Sable chases them, especially Luna, with lots of hissing and spitting. (Usually on Luna's part.)

Sable's kidneys are "weak." The doc says it's not kidney failure, but suggested I put her on the special NF diet as a protective measure. I'm just not willing to do that -- I've tried it with other cats and they all hate it. And with four, there'd be no way to switch just hers. I may as well just throw the money in the trash, because that's where all the food ends up. I'm willing to try other dietary changes, but not NF. She goes through an ungodly amount of kitty litter -- she pees as much as the other three combined. I'm awash in litter granules.

After years of caring for failing, elderly kitties, it was a joy to adopt new kittens. Willow, Rohan, and Luna are all abundantly healthy. What a relief of have a healthy, robust home. And after caring for my elderly, ailing father, and then to have been released from that when he died, I am SO unwilling to step back to caring for something in ill health. It's a stress that wears on me heavily. She doesn't groom herself well, she looks all rumply and unkempt. She's docile, and her mood is even, and purrs, and occasionally tries to play, but she's not robust. She now weighs 9 lbs, 1 oz (up from 5-10 when I found her).

But how can I ask someone else to adopt a health-compromised animal? I feel stuck with her. Maybe, with more time, she'll bond with some of us, but it hasn't happened yet. The local Kitten Rescue is just about to launch into kitten season, and if I insisted they take her, I think I'd ruin my goodwill with them (I used to volunteer there). One option, is they might be willing to advertise her on the website, as long as I continue to foster her.

I just feel like I'm a bad mom, and being selfish for wanting a home of harmony and health, needy kitties need not apply. ~Kimberly