introducing my cats
I saw Becky (Online Goddess) posting about her creation of the #BearCats tag, as a Bear alternative to things like #Caturday. I thought this was a great idea and immediately wanted to participate - I am always eager to talk about my cats and show them off! (Aren't all cat owners, though? We love our kitties!)
Going from youngest to oldest means that Moogle is first up! He turned a year old in March of 2026. I actually posted something for his birthday, so I'll link to that here!
He's so precious - he likes to roughhouse with his big sister, Bubbles, then he'll relax and snuggle right up to her for a nap. I love when you can see his tiny kitty teeth. He's full of energy!
Next up is Bubbles, my long-haired princess.
Here she is as a kitten. I was originally fostering her with a local animal shelter. It was my first time fostering, and I failed, right off the bat! She was so precious, with those big eyes and sweet little meows.
When she was about 8 months old, she got an upper respiratory infection, and upon further inspection, the vet's office diagnosed her with FIP. This was my first time hearing about it - it's a severe immune disease that was considered to be a death sentence up until the last couple of years. Other countries had some FIP medications that were approved, but they weren't available in the US yet. The vet had to drain a large amount of fluid from her lungs, and he told me that all we could really do was give her steroids to slow the fluid accumulation. She would need to have her lungs drained again and again until the refilling of her lungs was frequent enough that we would need to euthanize her.
The vet told me (very coyly, might I add) that there were groups on Facebook that claimed to be able to order FIP medications from overseas. He had never used one of those groups himself, but he said that they were out there, and I could do whatever I liked with that information.
So I reached out to one of those groups and began communicating with the admins, explaining Bubbles' condition. They asked for all kinds of information - they wanted to see her bloodwork, they wanted up-close photos of her eyes, a video of her walking to gauge her physical condition, and more. After I provided her weight, they worked with me to connect me to a password-protected website that would allow me to order vials of medication and needles for drawing up and injecting said medication. They calculated the dosage I would need to give Bubbles.
Every day for 84 days, I gave Bubbles an injection between her shoulderblades. I would have to scoop her up, bring her into the bathroom, shut the door, and pour some wet food out onto a plate. While she was distracted, I'd draw up the medication, come up behind her, and give her the injection.
It was awful. I still hate thinking about it. The medication would sting as it went in (once I poked my own finger with the end of the needle on accident, and it stung like a motherfucker!) and she would cry out, meow, wail. Towards the end of the 84 days, she would hide from me when it was time for her injections. I cried as I did it, even as I knew that it was necessary.
As horrible as it was, within four or five days of beginning the injections, her health had completely turned around. Previously, she was coughing, had a nonexistent appetite, and was severely lethargic. With a few days of the medication in her system, she had bright eyes, a voracious appetite, and was eager to play again.
Over those 84 days, I kept providing the admins of that Facebook group with updates on Bubbles' bloodwork and her weight, and they assisted me in re-calculating her dosage. I'm so glad that I trusted that Facebook group and stuck with those injections. At this point in time, FIP medications are more easily accessible in the US, but that group is the reason Bubbles is still here today. She's now almost 3 years old and she's as playful and as beautiful as ever. She acts like a big, silly kitten. All she has to show of her journey with FIP is a small bald patch between her shoulderblades where her injections were given.
Lastly is my oldest girl, Lipstick. She'll be 10 years old next month.
I adopted her when I lived in the on-campus dorms in college. I found a Craigslist post saying "1.5yr old cat, spayed, free to a good home." I fell in love with her immediately - she looked like a cat I had as a child who had long since passed away. It was February 14th, 2018 when her previous owner brought her to me in a pet carrier. A strip of masking tape was on the top of the carrier, with "Lipstick" written on it. "Because of the orange smudges around her mouth," the woman said. She had two young boys who had given Lipstick her name. She didn't explain why she was rehoming Lipstick, and I didn't ask.
It was odd, because in the 8 years I've had with Lipstick, I've never been able to figure out why. She doesn't have behavioral issues. She's a bit small and her tail is a little short, and she's not very playful. She's content to just loaf next to me on the couch all evening, and all she wants is to exist alongside me every day. She isn't a lap cat and she doesn't like to be carried. She has intelligent eyes and sometimes, I think of her as a bit more like a roommate than a pet.
Sometimes I think about all the things that have happened over the course of my life in the time I've had her, and all of the places we've lived, and I get a little emotional.
As she's gotten older, she's started to snore in her sleep. I think it's endearing. I think of her as my soul cat. There will never be another cat like her and I dread the day she's no longer with me. Until then, I will give her as many happy days, forehead kisses, and behind-the-ear scritches as she'd like.
Thanks for reading about my cats!! I highly encourage any other cat owners to make a similar post or page on your blog. It feels good to just ramble about our pets!