Happy 7th Birthday to three of my favorite felines – Rolz, Mia, and Peanut

I remember the day like it was yesterday – Zoey was pregnant and nearly bursting at the seams. She came into my bedroom early on the morning of February 12, 2009, to wake me up to let me know she wanted me to be with her. It was still pitch dark and I grabbed my robe to follow her into the living room where I curled up with her on the couch. Her silky body was toasty warm and she tucked herself into the crook of my belly, purring up a loud storm.

A few minutes later I felt her body slightly contort and the next thing I knew, a kitten had been born on my lap… That’s how it all started. She had one more kitten on my lap before I was able to get her into the safety of the birthing room we had created for her in our bedroom closet where she subsequently had two more kittens (with a lot of help from Dan who was able to grab a towel and get the kittens into closet without incident).

Zoey and her kittens a few days after they were born. She was such a great mama and loved taking care of them so much.

It’s a moment I’ll never forget. That Zoey trusted and loved me so much that she wanted me with her while she gave birth is an honor and privilege I will always keep close to my heart. We kept 3 of the kittens and gave the 4th one to a dear friend that lives in Boston. He named him Zeuss Catt and Zeuss is very well loved and taken care of.

The kittens have long since grown into gorgeous adult cats and thankfully they have never known a day of hardship or stress in their lives (although they might argue that point because if I feed them even one minute past 5:00 pm – which is dinner time – that’s stress to them!). The most amazing part of it all – these guys have been together literally 24/7, living in an identical environment with both of their cat parents still with them (Zee & Zoey), yet they have distinctly unique personalities.

A photo of Peanut, Mia, and Rolz all grown up – picture taken just days before their 7th birthday!

Rolz is the most aloof of the bunch, Mia is shy and reserved, and Peanut is a lover. Interestingly, as they have aged, the one thing they have in common is when nighttime falls and we all sit on the couch at the end of the day, they all want to snuggle and become lap cats. During the day… not so much!

Happy Birthday my darling ones! I love you all so very much and you bring such joy and happiness to my life!

To learn more about my experience with Zoey and what it was like to help her raise a family of kittens, please consider reading The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey – A Journey of the Extraordinarily Ordinary. It’s a warm, conversational, and humorous story filled with page after page of stunning full color photographs, charming artwork, and custom illustrations that will surely inspire you to find the best in each and every day you are blessed to have.

These are just some of my favorite Amazon reviews from readers who were personally moved by the story:

“I just finished this book yesterday and I am still overwhelmed. The book is written with so much love and passion and I could not put it aside. It is really encouraging to realize that in our selfish world there are still many people who care about our environment and the animals. Love and respect for those courageous cats. The story about Deborah Barnes and her animals is heart warming and just beautiful.” ~Valerija~

“After reading the description, I expected to be enchanted… but the experience of reading the book was so much more… the book exceeded my expectations… the best way to describe it would be to say that it felt like I was invited to be part of their lives while I was reading the book… so to come to the end of the book was like saying good bye after spending a long holiday with a close family friend…” ~Trishka~

“I do believe that anyone who has a cat or cats should read this book. I am 70 years old and I could not put this book down once I started reading it. I laughed, cried and everything else that could be emotionally brought out of me. How would I rate this book? Amazon only has 5 stars, I would give it 10 stars. Great, great book.” ~Amazon Customer~

Chapter 15 – I share a humorous take on what it’s like to bathe a family of 4 adult cats and 4 kittens after we had an outbreak of pesky fleas in our house.

For full purchasing options, please visit www.zeezoey.com for details.