Jelli and Deborah H. : Furry Friends Fur-Ever Tail
“Jelli came into my life last October after I’d lost both my cat and my dog that summer,” Deborah says. “I wanted an older cat that was a little harder to adopt. A friend of mine who volunteers at Furry Friends suggested Caspian as he was known then. My decision to adopt him took minutes because he immediately lay down on my foot and looked at me with those beautiful green eyes, and I couldn’t imagine not coming home with him. There was one small problem: he was way too big for my carrier!
“Recently, I heard about the 3-3-3 rule describing the stages that rescue dogs go through in their new homes. It certainly applied to Jelli. He was somewhat clingy his first three days. I kept him in my guestroom so that I could get to know him better and to limit any potential hiding places. He never hid at all. Instead, he sat on my lap a lot and he liked to jump on my back while I cleaned the litter box.
“At three weeks, he had full access to the house. He didn’t jump on my back any more: probably a good thing since he weighed 18 pounds. But he still wanted to be up anywhere that gave him a view of the outdoors so he could chatter at the birds or growl at the deer. He does have a small catio that he loves, and he’s learning to walk on a harness -- which he doesn’t love so much.
“By three months, Jelli was a very confident, independent cat and showed his quirky personality. Examples: sitting for a treat, ‘talking’ every night around 10:30 because that’s his bedtime, and attacking my ankles if I walk by without paying him attention. He prefers to have his toy thrown up in the air so that he can jump up and grab it. He gets quite airborne! He starts out the night next to me for a little snuggle, but leaves to sleep under the bed. He rarely gets on my lap now, but he’ll perch on my shoulder when I’m sitting on the couch.
“His name, Jelli, is short for Jellicle Cat from a poem by T.S. Eliot, but also because he’s so sweet. I’ve had cats for over 50 years, and this big boy is very special. He definitely rescued me from my grief.”
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Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.
