As you all know from previous posts, there are a couple of additions to our family that I wasn’t very happy about. Well I’ve been trying really hard to get to know them, I know it means a lot to mummy and daddy that we are one big happy family.
Peppar is my support, my guidance and my safety net when Millie and Angelin arrived. He was there for me to tell me that it was all going to be ok and that I shouldn’t be scared, he wasn’t and he would protect me as my big brother. I believed him as I trust him. Now though its my turn to help him. After his teeth operation he wasn’t his usual self and mummy and daddy have had to spend a lot of time with him trying to get him to eat, giving him medicine, pain relief, fluids and liquid food by syringe. Mummy said to me that they were worried about him and that I needed to look after him and help him as he hadn’t eaten for so long and was getting very poorly. I tried my best to help him and encourage him as he always helps me. I even left him some of my dinner in case he preferred what I had. Then, one evening, the night before mummy and daddy get to spend two whole days at home with us Peppar was on daddy’s lap when he thought Peppar had sat in something yucky, he called for mummy to have a look and give him a wipe down. Mummy looked at Peppar and gasped, we need to get him to the vet she said to daddy. Mummy picked Peppar up and put him in the carrier, daddy phoned the vet and then they said they would be back soon and off they went. Just before they went they explained that somehow all the fur and skin on the inside of Peppars back legs and groin had come off and he was red raw and needed to see the doctor straight away.
They were gone a while but when they came back Peppar wasn’t with them, I was worried…Mia went off in the carrier and didn’t come back, what was happening to Peppar, when would he come home? Would he come home? What would I do without him? Much like mummy and daddy I felt sad 😿 and had a restless night, Peppar doesn’t do well in strange places or with strange people, this is why mummy and daddy had been doing so much for him at home. I’m not there to comfort him, or reassure him like he does with me, he’s all alone and I know what that’s like and how scary that can be. Mummy and daddy said to us that they knew it’s tough but that he was in the best place as they would look after him, still that night I tried my hardest to send him healing, loving thoughts. It was a long weekend but after two nights away from us mummy got the call her and daddy had been waiting for, they could go and get Peppar and bring him home. The cat doctor said they knew he must be feeling better as he had turned into a velociraptor! Mummy went to get Peppar and daddy stayed home to get out the dragon hoover machine so everything was nice and tidy for him.
When he came back he had a cone of shame on but unlike when I had one he seemed ok with this. In fact he seemed ok with everything, mummy said he was on some strong painkillers which made him specially chilled out. Mummy and daddy were so pleased because one of the first things that he did when he got home was eat – they hadn’t seen him eat that much for days and days. Over the next few days Peppar got better and better, he was eating more and was getting back to his old self. Soon he didn’t need his painkillers and didn’t need the cream mummy had to apply to his bare tummy skin with daddy’s help as it was all healing well. My big bro was back…a bit quiet and thin but back. I’m so happy and relieved to have him home and back to his old self.
You might wonder what this has to do with me getting on with my new sisters but whilst Peppar was poorly mummy and daddy were busy looking after him that I had to work out what I was going to do about Millie and Angelin. Mummy was still making time to take me for walkies and play but she needed to help Peppar. I decided that I needed to help out, I needed to step up and look after the rest of the family, I needed to learn quickly how to lead them without Peppar to help me. I am after all the Queen 👑 I am young to be a queen so it is very difficult without Peppars help but I know I can do it, I’m not a quitter and have learnt over my time in my new home that I can do anything I put my mind to. I realised that the youngsters aren’t going anywhere, they’re here to stay so I have to accept that and adapt. They’re very full on and being younger than me they need more attention so I have had to let them take some of mummy’s time, that’s not easy as I’m still young too and I want mummy and daddy all to myself – I think what I was feeling was jealousy but I need to be a big girl and let them have some attention. I know that mummy and daddy love me and will always make time for me to play or snuggle or go walkies. I’m a very lucky girl.
Sometime I can hear them playing, I kind of want to join in but I’m not quite ready to let myself go completely yet and join in. For now I’ll just ‘watch’ them and learn all I can about each of them. Milly is very noisy, she meows a lot and she runs everywhere very quickly, she seems to be an all or nothing kind of girl. She has a strange pawstep though as she only has three legs which confused me to start with, I couldn’t quite figure it out until daddy told me. The fast movements she makes can be quite scary for a blind cat as until you get used to it as you don’t quite know what is rushing towards you. I’m getting used to it now though and just let her rush around me. Angelin is mostly silent Mummy says she’s blind like me, she makes the odd squeaking noise (she sounds more like my doggie friends than a kitten) but like me she stays quiet so she can hear what’s going on around her. When mummy or daddy are trying to play with me she often comes in and steals the toys away! She has no no respect for her elders but I’ll teach her how things should work, she’s just a baby after all and didn’t have a clowder or Queen to teach her how to behave when she was a tiny kitten growing up in Cyprus.
I also realised whilst Peppar was poorly that I should probably try to be more like him, he welcomed me into the family when I arrived and so I should probably do the same for my new little sisters. So I’ve been trying really hard to accept them and welcome them, it’s hard though as being the Queen of the group, that’s my job now. It makes me feel very uneasy as I’m still so young and it’s a lot of responsibility to have at such a young age. I’m not sure I’m ready for this but I must try and I will do my best. I’ve been trying to get to know them more, joining in playing with them and letting them sit close to me when I’m relaxing.
They’re still quite annoying, a bit excitable, and need to learn their place in the family but I’m getting used to them being here.Hopefully I can learn to be a good big sister and leader to them in time. Mummy and daddy reminded me that, like me they are rescue cats from Cyprus so I can understand how they feel and what they are going through. Maybe my experience can help them to settle into our home and family.
Jenny’s Story 