Zeppelin and the Culbertsons: Furry Friends Fur-Ever Tail
“We had lost our senior cat earlier that month, and my husband was desperate to get a cat back in the house,” Raina says. “We had originally come to the shelter to meet a pair of bonded kittens, but I wanted my husband to meet Zeppy, because I just had a feeling. Although Zeppelin was clearly overwhelmed, he came over to us, climbed onto my husband’s shoulder and refused to get off! Then and there, he became our toothless wonder, and to this day, my husband remains his best friend.
“Zeppy took to us immediately and refused to separate himself from us. He was extremely nervous about being left alone, and it took some time for him to find his place, gradually growing happier and more comfortable. Thanks to some patient training and ‘claw control,’ he’s calmed down considerably and is now a perfectly behaved cat.
“He’s such a ray of joy with an unmatched joy for life. Grateful for the smallest things, he’s curious about everything, and that brightens up our days. Zeppy has experienced so many firsts in our home. He’s watched hummingbirds on our porch, met the cows and lamas living on our farm, and learned that cheese and paper bags are the coolest things in the world!
“Zeppy’s favorite toys include tunnels, shoe strings, one specific mouse and nerf darts: running after them and bringing them back. Not only does he love playing fetch with all of his toys, he brings one to bed every night. An ‘exclusively chaperoned’ outdoors cat, he also loves going on walks with us, requires no leash, and stays next to us like a well-trained pup. In fact, we’re convinced that he thinks he’s a Labrador retriever!
“Although he’s incredibly social and prefers playtime and adventures to snuggles, he’s a supremely snuggly sleeper who can’t be awakened once he’s asleep. Cute and quirky, Zeppy MUST do everything with us, preferably on our shoulders or heads. He attacks my embroidery and sewing projects, watches TV, helps me garden, ‘criticizes’ how we feed and care for the other animals, and ‘helps’ my husband play video and card games. As a Siamese/Oriental kitty, known for being very vocal, when my husband’s on an important zoom call, Zeppy has a lot to say about aerospace engineering, and my husband’s co-workers have accepted that Zeppy’s now part of the team!
“At night, Zeppy usually sleeps in between my husband and me until around 4 AM before napping in a breakfast nook full of ‘nesting’ pillows.”
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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.
