Editor’s Note – By now you most of you have heard Dan and I have adopted a new kitten – a beautiful Maine Coon Ginger Princess we named Jazmine that we happened upon while visiting the Imperial Cat booth at the Global Pet Expo. She has already been living with us for a full week but due to a variety of reasons such as travel lag, a day job, a raging migraine that lingered for days, and losing email service for two days, I am severely behind in my blogging schedule. So, rather than jump right into the here and now with her, let’s rewind a bit to last Friday, the last day of the expo, as we ease into her story…

This was our Jazmine at the Imperial Cat booth before we even knew she existed. Thank you to Imperial Cat for taking this photo and letting me share it!

Friday was the last day of the expo and Dan and I had a full day planned before we left for the day. Rather than going straight home, we had previously made plans to spend the night with Dan’s mom who lives about an hour away from the convention center. Unexpectedly adopting a kitten changed all of that in an instant. Clearly our original plans did not include a kitten and so we were completely unprepared to transport and take care of her for an overnight stay, especially considering that Dan’s mom is not a cat person, hence our mad scramble to get supplies for her at the show.

A See and Extend Pet Carrier, a Collapsible Travel Food Bowl, and a Zip and Go Bed donated by Petmate. A tote bag filled to the brim with food, litter, toys, a litter scoop, and bottled water from Little Dog Rescue Group as well as a leash, collar, harness, and a disposable litter box from them. We were also given an Easy Chair/Ottoman scratcher from Imperial Cat and more cat toys. With all of that, even though Dan and I have never had children together, for a brief moment I thought perhaps we had as I flashed back to days gone by of traveling with my own kids with the diaper bags, strollers, bottles, toys, car seats, snacks, and more. It was amazing to me how similar the experience of traveling with them was to traveling with one tiny kitten for an overnight stay at Nana’s house….

This Easy Chair/Ottoman scratcher from Imperial Cat was just one of the many, many things we were given at the Global Pet Expo to take care of Jazmine!

Thanks to the See and Extend carrier, the trip to Nana’s house was a dream. Kitty (she had not yet been named yet – she was called Empress at the show, but we were reserving judgment until the perfect name came to us) curled up in the carrier and napped peacefully. Because of the way the carrier is designed, I was able to keep it on my lap – she was able to feel the warmth and security from my body and I was able to unzip the top and keep my hand inside to pet her. She was able to look at me and as long as I kept petting her and making eye contact with her, she was as happy as can be. Not one single meow of protest and when we finally arrived at Nana’s and found a spare room for her to stay in, she gave us a chirping trill of delight and roamed the room contentedly.

She did everything we hoped she would do. She ate with a healthy appetite, she used the litter box, she purred when we pet her, and she played with her toys while we were trying to sleep that night to keep us awake! When we packed up all her paraphernalia to bring her home, she wasn’t as thrilled as her first ride – it’s about a 4 hour drive, so there were some slight meows of protest here and there, but for the most part she handled herself extremely well.

This was Jazmine at Nana’s. We introduced her to the Zip and Go bed from Petmate for the first time and she instantly went into full biscuit making, kneading mode. She remains attached to this bed and it is like a wonderful security blanket for her. The material is ultra soft and I think it simulates memories of her mother from days gone by.

After some biscuit making, Jazmine settles in for some play time. This is one happy little girl…

I remember way back in 2008 when we got Zoey – she was half the size of this kitten and screeched like a wild banshee in blood curdling tones the entire hour and a half ride home! This one barely made a peep! Dan and I spent most of the ride thinking of names for her, but none of them were quite right yet. When we finally got home, we quickly brought her into the spare bedroom that was going to be her living space until we could get her acclimated to the others. Typically this takes a week or two, but it really depends on the personality of the cat as to when the time is right. With Kizmet, he was kept behind closed doors for a week – I had planned on keeping him in sequester longer, but he had plans of his own. He got loose one day and settled himself in with the others as if he had been living with us all along.

This darling girl had been abandoned and was living with feral cats, cows, and goats for most of her young life. She then found a foster family to help socialize her, after that, she found herself in a loud and bustling convention center with strange people petting her all day long. Next thing you know, she was put in a car with two people she barely knew to find herself living in a house where seven cats were sniffing at the other side of the door to the room she was staying in. I did not want to rush anything with her – even under the best of circumstances, her life was already traumatic enough.

We are finally at home and this is one of Jazmine’s first pictures here. She is sitting on a roll top desk that is in the bedroom she is staying in and already knows how to pose for the camera!

And here she is on the desk again… clearly she feels completely at home and very safe, secure, and happy!

So I had my plan… A plan that would ease kitty into our feline majority household in the weeks to come.  But, as per usual, why did I think I was in control of the situation? I was forgetting to factor in the force that is Kizmet. Kizmet who has always been an old soul – an old soul who is kind and wise beyond his years and he beats to his own drummer.

This little one had barely been with us for a few hours and he had somehow gotten himself into her room. Worried that disaster would ensue, Dan and I marveled at what happened next. Kitty was sitting on the window sill and was surprised to see she had an uninvited visitor. She immediately hissed at  him, but rather than get combative and hiss back, he settled down on the floor in front of her in a reclined position and kept his body posture completely relaxed and non-threatening.

Kizmet was adamant that he was going to break all the rules and meet Jazmine whether we were ready for it to happen or not.

She hissed a bit more at him and he remained gentle and calm, assuring her with his actions and a slow blink of trust that he was her friend and that he would take care of her. While she was still cautious, you could see that she believed him, that she trusted him, and that she had found her forever home. It was at that moment, as I watched them interact, that I remembered how Kizmet stayed with me during my last hours with Mr. Jazz. It was the same room that this precious kitten was staying in now. Jazmine… The name came to me just like that and it was perfect. How fitting that Kizmet was there to say goodbye to Mr. Jazz and now here he was to say hello to Jazmine.

Jazmine is hesitant as to whether or not she should really trust Kizmet and wrestles with him. Despite how the photo might look, he is actually not fighting with her at all, but merely holding her back to let her know he is not going to fight back.

And snap. Just like that, Kizmet’s patience pays off and they are already playing together.

The story of Kizmet and Jazmine is already fascinating… He is absolutely smitten with her and wails pitifully at the door, scratching to get in to see her. He is adamant that he is her chosen guardian and I can’t argue with his logic. Cats let us know intuitively what is right and he is a good influence on her. So, against all common sense when it comes to introducing new cats to one another, I let him go in with her as much as he wants.

Their developing relationship and more will be shared in the weeks to come but I will let you in on a secret… this is one very special kitten…