![\"\"](\"http:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/All-Four.jpg\" "\\"All-Four\\"")
<\/a>L to R - Peanut, Mia, Zeuss, and Rolz - one of the last pictures of all four of the kittens together.<\/p><\/div>\n
When he first left us, it was both joyful and painful. Joyful in that I knew Crystal and Sean would be wonderful guardians to Zeuss, but painful in that it would be the last time I would see this sweet kitten that was such an ingrained part of my life. Dan and I had already agreed we were going to keep the remaining kittens, as we were so in love with them and could not bear the thought of parting with them, but these kittens had literally been together with us 24\/7 and it was hard to imagine not having Zeuss with us anymore.<\/strong><\/p>\n Crystal and Sean constantly filled us in with all sorts of updates and photos, so it was not like Zeuss just vanished from our lives. He even had his own facebook page long before it became commonplace for every cat to have a facebook page. Eventually Crystal and Sean broke up and sole custody of Zeuss went to Sean. Crystal was so busy with her teaching career during the day and bartending at night, that it really was the best decision in the long run for Zeuss and thankfully Sean has remained a dear friend of ours.<\/p>\n My first meeting with Zeuss in 3 years...<\/p><\/div>\n We made the appointment to meet with Zeuss on the last day of our trip and I could not wait for the reunion. What would he think? Would he remember me? Would he like my hair cut? So many jumbled thoughts\u2026 When we got to the house and parked the car, we saw Zeuss outside wearing his walking jacket and leash. My heart was pounding and I ran out of the car, tears in my eyes, like two long lost friends reunited as we approached one another in anticipation of our meeting. Our eyes locked with complete intensity until I realized he was actually looking at a squirrel in the distance and not me at all\u2026<\/p>\n Zeuss is a fascinating study in cat behavior as he is now an only child cat\u00a0that is primarily being raised by two males, Sean and his brother Brendan who roommate together. While they never set out to get a dog, I don\u2019t know if it is the male influence, but Zeuss is the most dog-like cat I have ever met. He is the master of his yard and runs back and forth on his\u00a0long leash lead\u00a0as he chases the birds and squirrels and runs to the fence to greet the children that are walking by on their way home from school and the other neighborhood dogs that pass by. He is not afraid of anything and is a nonstop athletic machine in perpetual motion of running, sniffing, jumping, and climbing. Brendan takes him out for a walk 2 to 3 times a day and the relationship he has with these guys is incredible.<\/p>\n Zeuss is up in a tree surveying his outdoor kingdom.<\/p><\/div>\n When you go into the house, it is clear that Sean and Brendan are merely co-inhabitants to what is Zeuss\u2019s world. Every single room caters to Zeuss and it is difficult to discern any evidence of human existence. The kitchen is the first room you walk into from outside and immediately you are greeted by a huge corrugated box that perhaps a stove or TV came from. It has air holes cut into it as well as a door. Inside this mini cat apartment is the litter box\u2026 Just the litter box. Talk about privacy fit for a king!<\/p>\n Zeuss letting us know that this was his loft and the couch was going to stay...<\/p><\/div>\n The next thing you notice in the kitchen is a couch. A couch that is turned on its side so that it is vertical and placed strategically next to a window. Just to be clear, this is not a typo, there is a vertical couch in the kitchen. Why? Because when Zeuss first came to his new home, this couch that was on its way out to the curbside for hopeful pickup\u00a0by someone who needed a free couch, was instantly claimed by Zeuss as his favorite napping spot. It has now been appropriately renamed\u00a0 \u201cThe Loft\u201d and clearly Sean and Brendan had no choice other than to keep the couch in the kitchen, standing up vertically. Sounds about right to me and we know Jackson Galaxy would strongly approve!!<\/p>\n Excuse me... I believe I said the loft is staying... A little privacy if you don't mind.<\/p><\/div>\n As you wander into the living room, you see that it is indeed lived in\u2026 by a cat. There are toys all over the floor, on the coffee table, and on the couch that is ironically placed horizontally to actually sit on. You will find Zeuss\u2019s cat brush as well as all sorts of kitty condos and things of that nature. I saw a TV in the background, but it appears to be nothing more than an object for Zeuss to recline on.<\/p>\n Sean and Zeuss debate what "good behavior" means.<\/p><\/div>\n Zeuss was under strict directive by Sean to be on his \u201cbest behavior\u201d and I must say he was the most gracious of hosts. Zee\/Zoey children, while stunningly gorgeous, are not known for their tolerance of excessive (i.e., any) snuggling or cuddling and Zeuss was willing to let us pet him, hold him, brush him, and coo at him for well over an hour until we saw the inevitable \u201ctail swish\u201d that was signaling to us his hospitality was wearing\u00a0 thin. We got the hint, plus Dan\u2019s youngest daughter Jackie and her cousin Katie who also came to see Zeuss were getting a tad bored with our conversation that literally did not veer for even one second about the conversation of cats. Whoever came up with the stereotype that men don\u2019t like cats has been seriously misled. These guys talked about Zeuss like a proud parent who pulls out a wallet chalk full of pictures of their kids. Personally, I always found that stereotype to be nothing more than a demeaning myth and I find that most men I know actually love cats\u2026<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>