Hiya! Savannah Here!
LIFE CHANGING INTERVIEW WITH SAVANNAH
A Bi-Monthly Series Featuring Adult Rescue Dogs and Cats
I have a really great interview today. I have known this ladycat since early October, 2012…and I know several other paw bloggers know her as well…so let’s not wait…purrlease help me welcome…my next Real Rescue Cats Are Talking guest…
PLEASE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO NYLABLUE!
APAWS!!!…APAWS!!!…APAWS!!!
Savannah: Hiya Nylablue! I am so purrleased you agreed to come by and have a meow with me.
Nylablue: EEOWW EEOOWW Savannah, Fankz fer invitin me to do diz interview…me iz eggcited!!!
Savannah: Oh Cat! Me too! We have meowed about this opportunity for months! Now Nylablue, I just know…really, I do…everyone is going to want to know…”how did you come by such a beautiful name?”
Nylablue: ohh…ummm…is it Ok if I turn this over to my Mom?
Savannah: Of course…turns to Miss Sherri-Ellen…
Miss Sherri-Ellen: Nyla was born in 2001 and she came into a local shelter 2005 & the shelter operator’s sister took her home the same day & named her NYLA. I don’t know why. A year later, NYLA came to live with me & I wanted to expand her name. I looked up the meaning of NYLA & it means ‘winner’ in Greek & ‘dark blue’ in Sanskrit (East Indian).
So her name became NYLABLUE. When I called her that name the 3rd day she was with me she came RIGHT to me…which she hadn’t done b4.
Savannah: Oh Cat! That is a great naming process! Thank you Miss Sherri-Ellen (turns back to Nylablue after giving Miss Sherri-Ellen a little head bump)…Alrighty, Nylablue, can you meow a bit about your life before Miss Sherri-Ellen?
Nylablue: me early life iz a blur. Me waz a breedin queen in a kitty mill ‘n me got bery sick after many litterz. You seez, I am a Bluepoint Birman/Siamese cross. As you can seez Iz haz a Birman head & body & eye color. My tail is Siamese & so is my cat-titude…MOL!
Anywayz, me waz thrown out into da street around 4 years old. Me can’t bemember fer how long; me doez bemember bein terryfied ‘n lonely.
Me waz picked up ‘n taken to our local shelter fer a day. Da shelter operator’z sister took me to her home dat nite. Dere waz a big crazy dog n another siamese there. Me did not like dem ‘n me was made to hab more kittenz before they would spay me. I think theyz wanted more $$$…don’t really knowz
Savannah: No!! That is pawful Nylablue! You thought you were going to be safe and they treated you pawfully!…(Savvy purrs loudly to support and comfort Nylablue)
Nylablue: Thank you Savvy. Me was still sick ‘n half my teethiez were taken out when me waz finally spayed. A little while later me waz taken back to vet ‘n the humanz were told me had chronic cystitis. Dey decided to put me to sleep forebeber!!!!
Savannah: MOUSES!! NO!!! Even after you gave them more kittens to sell??!!!
Nylablue: I knowz, I knowz…Savvy…Da shelter operator called me mum ‘n asked if she would rescue me. Diz waz in june of 2006. She came to see me ‘n waz not sure as she waz tryin fer another cat. When she got da 2nd call from shelter lady she then decided to get me instead ‘n me waz hourz from death!!
So june 5th me waz brought to Sherri-Ellen’z house. Me waz around 5 yearz old den. Me iz gonna be 12 thiz December. Me mum had no idea how sick me waz!
Savannah:..(wiping leaky eyes, and drippy nose with back of paws)…ahem…sorry Nylablue, I feel so badly that happened to you. If it’s not too hard, can you meow more about the tuffest things you had to overcome to trust Miss Sherri-Ellen?
Nylablue: In da beginnin’ me waz aloof wif da Sherri-Ellen. Me knew she waz good but da fear waz too much fer me. Me would not allow any touchin or holdin’ at all!! Sherri-Ellen waz very patient wif me. We would play toyz alot ‘n she would sing little songz to me. She tried many different foodz fer me ‘n bought me a pedestal bed ‘n me own blanketz. She would pat da couch ‘n ask me to come up n sit wif her ‘n slowly me decided me could do dat.
Den in March 2008 me had to hab the rest of da bad teethiez out ‘n dat waz so scary fer me. Sherri-ellen spent da day wif me at the vet’s ‘n den brought me home ‘n spent over 3 weekz wif me 24/7!!! She didn’t leave da house at all ‘n took purrfect care of me ‘n dat iz where da big trust waz built tween us!!!
It took over 4 years fer me to allow strokin’ on me head & den belly rubz. She waz so patient talkin’ to me all da time ‘n singin those songs.
When hu’manz come to vizit me, mum tellz people dey can look but not touch. She is my purrtector!! Me still not likin’ bein picked up but me toleratez it when me haz to. Me neber hidez anymore; me iz confident dat mum will purrtect me.
Savannah:…OH My Cat! I can so relate to the “don’t touch me if you are a stranger”…meow to us about how you showed more of your REAL SELF?
Nylablue: me mum used music to calm me ‘n communicate with me. Hearing songs over ‘n over comforted me ‘n gave me stability.
Mum also gave me many spotz wif blanketz so me can nap where me wantz. Me noticed diz hu’man talked more den any of the otherz…MOL!!!
Sometimez we hab dissegreementz ‘n she alwayz apologizez ‘n we cuddle alot. Me can be bery bossy when me wantz which mum sayz iz a great thing because it showz da real me confident ’ n brave!!!
Lastly mum will not allow any other catz in da house. When she doez rescue, the other catz have to live on patio til they go to shelter. Me doez hab a few doggie fur-endz who do come in to vizit me. Where me used to hate dogz me likez dem now. Again mum waz patient introducin dese doggiez to me ‘n reassurin me dey were me fur-endz.
Savannah: Just a little more Nylablue, ‘cuz I know the readers like to learn what you do now that you never ever did when you were first rescued.
Nylablue: yow!! dere hab bin so many changez!! Me iz playful ‘n chatty. Me lubz to watch da ‘peepinz’ (birdies) either from my pedestal bed or bein out in me condo. The condo is a newr idea mum came up wif 3 yearz ago. Me can be outside ‘n be safe.
Me lookz forward to snugglin wif mum ‘n me lubz to be brushed before bed also. Me iz a much happier kitteh now; connected to diz hu’man. Bemember me haz neber been connected or bonded to any hu’man before.
De only challneges left iz da health issuez. Me iz on meddy-ca-shun fer da cysitits ‘n da inflammatory bowel disease. Me also carriez da feline herpes virus so sometimez need to go to da vet (uncle Dave) ‘n that upsetz me so mum haz to work extra hard to keep me calm wif singin ‘n reassurin me fingz will be all right. There will alwayz be little challengez; but me mum will help me get thru’.
Savannah: You are a brave cat Nylablue (Savvy reaches over with paw to give soft pat)… one last question; can you meow advice to readers to help them support their adult rescue cat, or one they may be thinkin’ about bringing into their home, so it can show its REAL SELF?
Nylablue: Me would say to da hu’manz;
- Be ready to devote many many hourz to da rescue kitteh.
- Make sure da kitteh haz plenty of space to call their own ‘n blanketz ‘n toyz.
- Leavin music on fer kittehz iz a good idea to familiarize us to da sound of talkin’.
- Spend time just talkin’ to da kitteh ‘n strokin gently ‘n maybe try to brush gently.
- Move slowly ‘n keep fingz quiet til kitteh adjustz to new place.
- Always tell your kitteh when you are goin out ‘n say ‘eeoww’ when returnin’ eben if we iz asleep. It helpz wif da abandonment issue ‘n we feel better knowin what iz going on.
- if you haz little hu’manz dey have to be supervized alwayz.
- Introduce da kitteh to any other petz a little at a time
- Finally, pleeze respect yer kitteh if you iz told dey need to be the only 4 legged in da house.
Me would say to da to da kittehz:
- Be bery patient wif yerself ‘n wif da hu’manz. Diz will be a learnin experience fer both of you.
- When da hu’man doez sumfing right, try to head rub dem. Dey need reassurance too.
- Let dem know when you need sumfing…diz can be a challenge if dey don’t speak yer language so showin’ dem iz alwayz a good idea!!
We do make great pet fur-endz if da hu’man iz willing to be devoted to us showing our REAL SELF.
Savannah: Oh Nylablue!! I am so purringly happy we know each other and are good furriends! Any last words of wisdom you want to meow about?
Nylablue: Savannah me wantz to fank you agin fer da pawsome opportunity to meow about me life ‘n about cat rescue.
Me mum haz bin a cat rescuer since she waz a kit herself ‘n she haz given me da dream of a lifetime: to be respected ‘n lubbed totally by a hu’man. Me haz enjoyed diz interview alot ‘n me wishez you well in your home wif yer hu’manz too!! We iz da truly blessed kittehz!!!!! Lub Nylablue
MEOWSER! That is one brave ladycat…it is my privilege to know Nylablue and her courageous Mom Miss Sherri-Ellen.
Let me tell you a bit about them…they were very active bloggers on another site that shut down mid year 2012. They moved to Word Press, but they have not been able to make the connections they used to have because of this move. So purrlease, visit Nylablue at her new Word Press blog, she is truly…heh…heh…”The Cat’s Meow”!!
Nylablue is well known to our paw blog community through her long time furriend Chancy, who was also on that now defunct (VBP) site.
Thank you for stopping by today, I thought Nylablue’s rescue story deserved lots of space and time because we all hear and talk so much about “puppy mills” and how horrid they are…but speaking for this ladycat, this was my first furriend who was a “breeder cat” at a “kitten mill”…
Paw pats, Savannah
Information on Kitten Mills:
http://www.purebredcatrescue.org/kitten-mills
I only did a 1 minute ‘fact check’ about kitten mills for purebred cats and this looked the most recent. I will do more searching tomorrow. Thank you Nylablue for bringing this to this ladycat and her huFamily’s attention.
Savannah's Paw Tracks 