“These are my second and third kitties of my very own,” Emily explains. “Bailey, my cat of 17 years, a Calico and the best cat ever, passed away in April 2021. And because the house was too empty, we adopted Oliver and Isabelle in August of 2021.

“Members of the ‘J’ litter, we changed their original names Jethro and Jolene to Oliver (‘Ollie’) and Isabelle (‘Bella’ or ‘Bells’). Since I was looking for another Calico, I asked to meet Isabelle. But after seeing Oliver’s photo and meeting him, we adopted them both. Being the ‘runt’, Isabelle was so small and precious while Oliver had the best personality from the start.

“It took them about a week to really settle in. I kept them in the master bedroom, giving them a small space to get comfortable and keeping them with me at night. Not surprisingly, Oliver was the first of the two to adapt. They’ve added so much love, joy and ‘insanity’ to our household – I’d forgotten what kittens were like — getting into everything! To them, everything’s a toy meant for playing. Dangling objects … items hanging on walls … jewelry … decorations … pictures in frames …

“Oliver is the epitome of ‘curiosity killed the cat.’ My husband has never been much of a cat person, but he loves Oliver. Ollie is his boy. You can pet him anywhere, play with his paws and rub his belly. He swats at us standing up on his hind legs like a Meerkat but he’s good at keeping his claws in. A friend of mine who’s never liked cats said that she might get one if they could guarantee he’d be just like Oliver.

“We got Shelby, a Golden Retriever puppy at the same time, and it’s been quite an adventure. Shelby and Oliver are besties, although Shelby can be a bit too obsessive — while still being gentle. He knows that Isabelle isn’t interested, so he leaves her alone most of the time.

“If you’re sitting, Oliver will be in your lap whether you want him there or not. Strangers get a full ‘once-over’ from him — climbing on them, eating their hair, sitting in their laps, giving them no choice but to love him. On the other hand, Isabelle is just like a little princess, walking around as if she owns the place and doing her own thing. She likes to cuddle on her terms and only rubs up against you when she’s in the mood. But, out of the corner of my eye, I sometimes think she’s the late, great Bailey.”

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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. She lives with her adopted Maltese named Mini.