Cali was my first "shelter" kitty. After my orange loverboy, Dave, passed away at 20, I needed a kitty that loved me cuz our other cat bonded with his daddy, though I found him and brought him home. Six months after Dave went to heaven, I was ready for a new addition and since it was December, there won't be any strays around for me to adopt so I went to our local shelter. After 3 visits, I finally had it narrowed down to 2, Cali and one other cat. When the tech told me Cali had been at the shelter for 1.5 years and was only 3 years old, I realized she spent half of her life in a cage and she was coming home with me that day, even though she bit my finger when I brought her out of her cage. I learned those were her "kisses" later on. She would just put her mouth over my finger and never bite down. Soooo adorable! She and Moses bonded instantly when I brought her home and released her into the kitchen. She was the most gentle, sweet, lovable kitty and would plant herself on my lap or between my husband and me on the couch, always wanting to be near us. She was a real bed hog too! Over the next few weeks, I found her on top of a blanket on the couch that she had peed on, weeks later it happened 2 more times. I knew that's not normal for cats and she seemed out of it each time. Then one night we were suddenly awakened when she was having a seizure in our bed! She had epilepsy and apparently, no one at the shelter noticed. I wanted to do everything I could to help her and wanted her to have a happy life after spending half of it in a cage and the physical effect that had on her. She walked somewhat flat-footed and I assume it's because she never got to fully use her leg muscles as a small cat because of being in a cage. She didn't know how to run or play or swat at toys, missing them like she couldn't see them clearly. Once she was on phenobarbitol, the seizures were reduced so 1-2 every few months, but I knew the pheno was going to harm her liver and kidneys and sought out more natural methods. Plus the pheno made her so lethargic that she'd sleep all the time. I found a holistic vet in Boulder, CO, who recommended CBD oil, which worked like magic and I was able to reduce her pheno dosage dramatically. Cali was my buddy, always seeking me out. She was a real fraidy-cat and would sit at the door as if she wanted to go out with her brother, but when I'd open the door, she'd turn and run the other way. So funny, and adorable. Such a chickens**t! There were the rare moments when she would actually cross the threshold and venture onto the patio, eat grass, bolt back inside and puke on the rug. 30 seconds, max! Most times she wouldn't even make it to the first step before she'd turn around and scratch at the door for dear life to be let back in. That was her MO: whine by the door, then not go out anyway, or go out for 10 seconds and claw on the glass door to be let back in. On Easter eve this spring, she whined by the door twice and then wouldn't go out anyway when my husband opened the door for her. On her third whine, I said to him "just open the door and see if she'll go" but he didn't want to get up so I did. I opened the door and to my shock, she ran out right to the end of the patio with her head down eating grass, as usual. I closed the glass door and went back to sitting on the couch with my husband, when 5 minutes later, I realized Cali hadn't been scratching at the door! I RAN to the door and called her, but she didn't come and she ALWAYS comes when called. My husband and I searched with flashlights until almost 3:00 am and never found her. I followed the noise of what sounded like barking dogs in the woods between our house and the neighbor behind us. The barking was so fierce in the woods behind our house that I knew in my heart they had her! We somehow went to bed that night, but I was up at 5:30 texting my friend to see if she knew whether coyotes bark and searching the yard and woods, but found no trace of her, thankfully, in hindsight. My friend was up early and immediately texted me a link to coyotes barking and I knew she was gone and the barking I heard was probably the coyotes fighting over her. I still can't believe how quickly it all happened. Those murderous coyotes must have snatched her right off the patio within a minute of me closing the door. I can't believe they were that close to our house! Thank God we didn't find any traces of her; I would not have been able to handle that! Losing her in such a violent way was hard enough. My baby was eaten by coyotes, OMG! My eyes are still tearing up as I type this. We are grateful to have had her with us for almost 10 years and giving her the love and attention she didn't get as a kitten. Rest in peace, my sweet girl!
