It Was Worth It – Sugar Cookie and Violet (now Jenny and Piper)

I have been sharing some “Where Are They Now” type posts about some of the Wishers who are out there living The Good Life! My goal is to have information available at the click of a picture for people who might be considering the adoption of a Winnie’s Wish cat. These stories will hopefully be testament to the fact that even though a Wisher might be halfway across the country from the adopter, those adopters say it was absolutely worth it to go the extra mile. And for those Wishers who required a little more patience, their families tell me it was worth it beyond a doubt. Yesterday, in my blog post about kittens growing up here, I briefly mentioned that Violet was THE lucky one of the six kittens who came into Winnie’s Wish this Kitten Season. The following story is about the adoption of TWO Wishers. A beautiful adult Wisher was chosen followed a few months later by the adoption of that lucky kitten. Here is their story.

Adopting Jenny (Sugar Cookie)

Heather and Zach’s journey to adopt another cat started in April of 2015. About three weeks before they adopted Sugar Cookie (renamed Jenny), they lost their eight month old kitten, Lt. Dan, due to an inoperable tumor the vet found in his small intestine. Heather, Zach, and Forest Gump, their orange tabby, were devastated. All three had become so attached to Lt. Dan. Heather and Zach could tell that Forest was lonely and needed a companion. So began the search for another cat. After having gone through two “kitten stages” with Forest and then Lt. Dan, they decided to adopt an older cat.

One day, Heather was discussing her desire to adopt again with her sister. Her sister told her she just had to see Sugar Cookie. Heather fell in love instantly and showed Zach. They immediately reached out to Winnie’s Wish. Heather and Zach were nervous to bring in another cat as they were not sure how Forest would handle it; however, they both knew Forest did not need to be alone. After talking with Chrystal for a couple days, Heather and Zach agreed to do a trial run with Sugar Cookie. They knew it was going to be a long process to introduce a new cat to Forest.

It was a rough start at first. Forest was overly interested in the newly named Jenny, and Jenny was spooked easily. Heather and Zach kept Jenny in their bathroom during the night, but allowed her to roam the bathroom/bedroom during the day. This way Forest could still have his bed at night, and they could get used to each other’s scents. They slowly introduced Jenny into the other living spaces under supervision. Forest was used to roughhousing and talking his younger brother. Jenny on the other hand did not like it at all. There were a lot of spray bottle uses on Forest in the beginning.

About a month after adopting Jenny, Heather and Zach moved into a house. This was the best thing they could have done for Forest and Jenny’s relationship. Jenny was no longer in Forest’s house; instead, they were discovering new territory together. It made a huge difference. They are no cuddle buddies, but they can at least stand to be on the bed together.

Heather and Zach are so happy with their adoption of Jenny. She loves to cuddle with Heather and loves having her ears scratched. She enjoys chasing the red dot (laser), sleeping on the heated cat bed, and staring out windows.

Adopting Piper (Violet)

For the next four months Heather and Zach allowed Jenny and Forest to adjust. It turns out that Jenny is a little bit of a diva. She wants to be loved on when she chooses, and wants little to nothing to do with Forest. Truth be told, Forest is too rowdy for Jenny. It broke Heather and Zach’s hearts that they weren’t the best of friends. They knew that this was not the companion that Forest needed. However, Heather and Zach were in love with Jenny and could not fathom the idea of not having her in their lives. They flirted with the idea of a third cat, but were hesitant. Finally, the straw broke and Zach and Heather were ready to adopt a third cat: a male kitten. They agreed that a male kitten was the way to go, as Forest got along so well with Lt. Dan.

Heather had been following the story of Jaws, the kitten with a broken jaw that Chrystal was fostering. Heather contacted Chrystal via email explaining the situation and to see whether they could adopt Jaws. After several emails back and forth with Chrystal, it was decided that Jaws was not a good fit for Forest. Jaws is fragile and would be for a while due to his broken jaw. It would be easy for Forest to accidentally hurt Jaws. They were disappointed, but understood completely.

A couple days letter Heather received an email from Chrystal stating that she knew they wanted a male kitten, but to consider adopting Violet (renamed Piper). She told them that Piper was able to hold her own against Evers, a large male cat. Zach and Heather thought about it and decided it was worth a trial run. Heather met Chrystal half way to pick up Piper. Piper was very vocal the entire ride home. As soon as Heather got home she locked herself and Piper in the guest bathroom that was going to be Piper’s room until she was adjusted. Piper came out of the pet taxi and instantly started loving on Heather. After about 10 mins, Heather sent Chrystal a text saying how in love she was.

The first day was great. Forest and Jenny were very curious. The second day was rough. When Heather got home from work and went to visit with Piper, she was spooked and would not sit still. Heather panicked and emailed Chrystal. They agreed it was likely a result of Piper being in a small room in a new place and alone while Heather and Zach were at work and school. They decided to move Piper to the office so she would have more room to walk and explore. There were no problems after that. Heather and Zach started introducing Forest and Jenny to Piper for short amounts of time, but very quickly it was easy to tell that Piper was going to fit in just fine. By the end of the week Piper was free to roam the house.

It’s been three months since Heather and Zach adopted Piper and things are great. Piper has really taken to Forest. She copies every move he makes. He taught her how to drink from the faucet, and even how to get on top of the cabinets by jumping on the fridge. Jenny has gotten a lot better as well. She tolerates Piper, but gets easily annoyed with Forest, but she’s a diva.

 

Forest and little Piper

Forest teaching Piper

 

Piper and Jenny

 

Jenny, Piper, and Forest - a perfect little family

 

 

Comments

[ginny & the fur family]

Thanks Heather and Zack for sharing this beautiful story of the adoption of the three cats. I love to see how cats adjust to new homes and bond with each other. Keep up the good work and spread the news of Winnies wish and what great cats are there in the side bar to be adopted. Maybe some one will pick out their Christmas furrys. Fur is warm - fur is love. Adoptions are the way to go. Donate - adopt. Spread the furry love to all your neighbors.

[Random Felines]

YAY!!! How wonderful to see an update...and know that there are great families out there willing to take the time and effort to make it work!!

[Maria in CT]

Such a wonderful story! These are three lucky kitties!!

[Lori]

Once again it looks like a couple of Winnie's Wishers have found the perfect home & family for themselves! And how wonderful that Forest was finally able to find the friend he needed in Piper!

What a great looking bunch of kitties. I think the picture of the two peeking from up top of the cupboards is just the cutest!

Thank you for adopting from Winnie's Wish, not once, but twice, Heather & Zach! Lovely update!

[Andrea and the Celestial Kitties]

Oh my gosh! What a wonderful little family!! I was so worried that Sugar Cookie/Jenny was not getting adopted as a kitten but it looks like she was just waiting for her perfect family! And sweet Violet/Piper! How wonderful that she's the perfect companion for Forest! So happy for this family!!
Do you see it, friends? How wonderful it is to get your very own Winnie's Wisher! Wouldn't you like a happy furry family?? Wouldn't your friends like a happy furry family? Please spread the word and help get some wonderful kitties, the Wishers, into wonderful homes!
Don't forget about the auction! It ends Saturday!!!

[meowmeowmans]

What a beautiful happily ever after story. Hooray for Forest, Jenny and Piper! And thank you, thank you, thank you to Heather and Zach. Blessings to you all.