Jasper is next up on the introductions. He's quite the cat in so many ways. Absolutely adorable and full of love, and costs us a pretty penny. Just a few years ago he had a brush with death - it nearly killed me in the process. I will write more about that later.
He has a litter sister - Clara, you'll meet her soon enough! He made his grand entrance to my life as a tiny little baby who ultimately would be bottle fed for the first several months. He was found in a roll-off dumpster that was emptied at a recycling center that I worked at in Philly. Knowing that being so small, motherless and needing to be bottle fed his chances of survival at the SPCA were low - so I took him home. This would be my first time bottle feeding kittens. What an experience, one I would do again - but with a better idea of how tedious it is!
He was worth all the trouble and time back then, and is still worth every penny I have spent on him. He loves to be pet, cuddles (especially on your lap) and doles out kisses. He loves the other cats, on his own terms, but mostly prefers to be alone. The other cats tend to stress him out, so then he pees everywhere except for the litter box. We set him up in the oversized bathroom upstairs, installed a screen door so he can see everything and all the other cats when he wants, and then go hide when he wants alone time.
Trust me when I say he truly enjoys his bathroom kingdom. He routinely gets visitors and pets cause it's the bathroom we use the majority of the time. All the things he needs for a happy cat life are filling his room - cat tower, scratcher, bean bag chair, cat bed. We even had to remove the door on the bathroom cabinet cause he went thru a phase of wanting to sleep in the cabinet. Occasionally I'll let him out with the general population, but he has to be closely supervised.
He tends to win over the hearts of all the ladies - especially our friend Babs. She always makes time to hang with him, one time we even ate dinner in the bathroom with him. (true cat lovers!)
He single pawedly is keeping our vet in business. He was diagnosed with diabetes just under 2 years ago. Diabetes is challenging enough on humans - even more so with a cat! Lots of ups and downs with his insulin/food intake - we finally got it pretty well under control. Just had to set him up with a ridiculous feeding schedule and an automatic feeder. (the one time I truly love new technology!) He gets insulin 2 times a day (a bottle of insulin alone is $125, not including the syringes!) Every 4-6 months he gets a Librya installed, its a glucose monitor that we have to scan multiple times a day for 2 weeks to make sure his levels are within a good range. That is upwards of $200. He absolutely loves Mariah (the girl who shaves and installs his monitor).
Jasper is always looking for a new friend, so if you're in the area stop by and give him some kisses!
Till our Tails cross again,
Mel
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