Victorious Violet

Time for another chapter in my kitty saga.  After taking in Tippi (see Tolerant Tippi), I proceeded to take in another cat that had been wandering around my apartment complex in Georgia.  Violet (officially Miss Violet Rose) was pregnant, and I thought I would take her in and then find homes for the kittens when they were born in an attempt to not add to the outside feral population.  Luckily for me, Violet had a very small litter - only two babies (actually three, but the third one didn't live) - because when it came time to re-home them, I couldn't do it.  I had gotten so attached, I kept Violet and her kittens, Sprite and Pugsley.  (More on them in upcoming separate posts.)  They were so adorable and had such great personalities.  See what I mean?

 

Pugsley and Sprite with momma Violet

Pugsley (left) and Sprite at about one month old

As you may have noticed, the kittens look nothing like their mom.

I'm not sure how old Violet was when I took her in or how long she'd been on the outside looking in.  She never acted much like a feral cat and seemed to trust me fairly quickly.  Obviously she was old enough to be sexually mature, and she was full grown when she joined the family.  As it turned out, it was a good thing I did take her in because when she went into labor her first kitten was breech and I had to rush her to the vet.  I'd had no experience with pregnant cats, but I could tell something was obviously wrong.  Sprite and Pugsley were born at the vet's office.  The vet thought that was the extent of the litter, but the unfortunate little one that didn't make it was born after I had already brought Violet home.  I try to think positively about the whole situation - they might have all died if I hadn't intervened.

Violet and a grown-up Sprite snuggling together

Violet has a funny personality and she can be very insistent when SHE wants some snuggling time (or anything else for that matter).  If I get up and start to walk away, she'll meow until she gets her way.  When she does snuggle, she likes to rub her face all over my face and sometimes bites my chin.  She's just as insistent when it comes to wanting to groom her children, even though both of them are now bigger than she is.  Pugsley will sometimes let out a cry of protest, "Oh mom, I'm too old for that," while Sprite just fends her off with her hind legs.  Sometimes she might also want to play with them - I'm not sure what she's after as she will just reach out and grab one of their legs as they're walking by.

 

Of all the cats I have, I'd say Violet is the mellowest.  Even when I was having my bathroom renovated with all the hustle and bustle going on, Violet was still perfectly fine taking a nap in her little kitty cube in the living room with me, while the rest of the kids were hiding in the bedroom.  The only thing she doesn't like is thunderstorms.  She'll meow and hide under my chair.  And she's taught Pugsley to fear them as well.  Sprite's not quite as bad.

When I gave Violet a home, she had an enlarged eye (from glaucoma, I think).  Once I got to Rhode Island, the vet here suggested it be taken out; she called it a 'dead' eye (Violet couldn't see out of it anyway) and the vet was afraid it might be causing her pain.  Even though she never pawed at it or acted like it bothered her, I agreed.  After the surgery she didn't act any differently, but now I have my very own pirate kitty.  I haven't talked her into wearing a black eye patch yet, and the parrot on her shoulder is probably not the best idea, although she might think so.  But she has been practicing saying 'Aaargh'!