She walked through our door fifteen years ago and stayed. She is a mixed breed and didn’t have a collar or a chip (internally inserted microchip). We already had two other cats who belonged to two of our grown children still living with us.
We named her Cleopatra Coffey (Cleo) because she walked through the door like Elizabeth Taylor walked as she made an entrance in the movie “Cleopatra.”
She was visibly starving. You could see her bones. When I picked her up I felt her starvation. She began to purr immediately upon being petted. She was calm and ignored the other two cats who were sitting in front of me as I held her.
Smokey and Silver walked away after I told them we have to take care of this little one. After their departure, I cautiously began to examine her. Her nails were clipped. Her ears were exceptionally clean. Her teeth didn’t have any decay.
She looked up at me and purred.
I responded to those big eyes and asked, “Are you hungry girl?”
She jumped out of my arms and sniffed the air. She made a dashed to the kitchen where I kept the cats’ water and food. I took out a half cup of dry food and filled another bowl for her. I also selected a water bowl to be designated to our newcomer.
I lifted her up and placed her by her water and food area. I instructed her, “This is your water bowl. Silver and Smokey have their own bowls. So take your time and drink slowly. Don’t worry girl, I will stay with you while you drink and finish your meal.”
I placed her by the new water bowl and instructed her, “This is your water bowl. Silver and Smokey have their own bowls. So take your time and drink slowly.”
She looked around my legs to make sure the other cats were not present.
“Don’t worry girl, I will stay with you while you drink and finish your meal.”
Cleopatra looked up at me, turned, and went to her food and water.
I placed her by her water and instructed her, “This is your water bowl. Silver and Smokey have their own bowls. So take your time and drink slowly.”
She looked around my legs to make sure the other cats were not present.
“Don’t worry girl, I will stay with you while you drink and finish your meal.”
Cleopatra looked up at me, turned, and went to her food and water.
You probably wonder how the other two cats treated this new addition. In a non-tradition cat-like manner, they didn’t fuss with her or cause her stress. It felt like the other two cats knew about where she fled and gave her a welcome to their comfortable world.
That was fifteen years ago and she is still with us. Much slower, now that she is an elderly cat. She still likes to sit on my lap. She knows where I keep the cat food and stands outside the pantry door when I don’t feed at the usual time. She cleans herself and her litter box reflects a healthy cat.
You probably wonder how the other two cats treated this new addition. In a non-tradition cat-like manner, they didn’t fuss with her or cause her stress. It felt like the other two cats knew where she fled and welcomed her to their comfortable world.
That was fifteen years ago and she is still with us. Much slower now that she is an elderly cat. She still likes to sit on my lap. She knows where I keep the cat food and stands outside the pantry door when I don’t feed her at the usual time.
She loves to be brushed and is very good about her personal hygiene. Her litter box reflects a healthy and tidy cat.
She is good company, especially when one is out of source. She truly is the “royal imperial majesty, Cleopatra.”
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Twists and Turns 
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