Nilla – Kitten of the Month
For my daughter’s 15th birthday, she requested a cat or kitten. We thought it might be best to go with kitten since we have an 8 year old chocolate lab named Sasha and thought the transition would be easier with a kitten. We decided to go through the shelter because that is where we adopted our other pets and had great experiences with that. We went into a room that had 7 newly arrived kittens. We took some time to sit in the room to observe the kittens’ behavior and to see which one would be a good fit for our family. I fell in LOVE with a creamy colored 2 month old pointed kitten with light brown streaks on her fur and bright blue eyes. She made herself very comfortable in my lap and began purring immediately and stayed there the entire time we were in there. My daughter ended up wanting to adopt this adorable 3 month old black kitten with white socks/feet and a spunky personality named Athena (whose name she kept) instead. I had EVERY intention of getting only one kitten but I couldn’t leave behind (then named) Daphne the creamy colored kitten and so we adopted them both. I found out after I adopted her that my kitten was a ragdoll but didn’t know much about them so I did some research on that breed. I loved everything I read about them and got quite a lot of information from the floppycats website.
We found out the night we adopted them that both kittens were very sick with feline upper respiratory disease and had to bring them to an emergency pet hospital. It was scary because it had turned very bad overnight and they were having a little trouble breathing. They were also very congested, lethargic, and didn’t want to eat or drink much. We also found out that they were underweight and dehydrated. We treated them with hydration packs, antibiotics, saline drops, and warm cloths to clean their noses. We also gave them comfy beds, and a vaporizer so they could breathe a little easier. We even gave them kitten milk and warmed soft kitten food so they would be encouraged to eat while they were sick. We did this over a period of 2 weeks and noticed a drastic difference in their behavior and personality. They ate and drank more independently and was a lot more playful during and after their treatment.
I ended up naming my kitten Nilla Hazel Grace Evanesco or Nilla for short. Nilla because she reminds me of Nilla wafer cookies and she has vanilla colored fur, Hazel Grace because like the character from “The Fault in our Stars” she had an amazing personality even though she was sick when we met and she dealt with her treatment like a champ and we are currently going through my mother’s treatment of cancer as well and this lovely kitten provides a great comfort during this time, and Evanesco because she likes to disappear and likes to hide in the strangest places (by the board games, by the plants (which made her smell like citronella), in the Christmas tree etc.). She was very skittish at first and would hide when people came into the room but once you find her, she loves to snuggle and cuddle for long periods of time. She likes to nuzzle her face with yours and will sit and purr on your lap for what seems like hours. She loves to be brushed and loves the cat tree especially napping at the very top. She is very laid back but loves to play kitten games with the other kitten and has even finally gotten used to our Labrador (mostly, she will still hiss a little if my lab comes galloping in from being outside)! Her birthday is Oct 25th 2016 & mine is the 20th so we will definitely have fun celebrating together. We are very lucky to have found these kittens and can’t wait to share lots of fun memories together!
Do you have a Ragdoll Kitten or Cat? Consider submitting your kitty! Ragdoll of the Week submission guidelines
Read more Ragdoll Kitten of the Month submissions.
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
I hope we get to see an update about Nilla as Ragdoll of the Week after her birthday! Would love to see pictures of her with her best friend! I love the picture of her sitting on your back. Her personality shines through in that picture. Thanks so much for saving her and Athena. They might not have made it if they’d stayed in the shelter. She’s a true beauty- thanks for sharing her story!
Lynn
Thank you so much for sharing your story about your beautiful Nilla! (Lurve that her first name is because of Vanilla Wafers…yummy!) I also lurve the breakdown of the rest of her full name. Pawesome. She is so very BEAUTIFUL & ADORABLE! And so is the other adopted kitty your daughter chose. So sorry they were both so terrible ill once you got them home but sounds like you nursed them both back to great health! So very happy that they are thriving today (thanks to your love and care!)! 🙂 <3
Wishing all of you many, many years of happiness, love, good health and purry adventures together!
Big hugs & lots of love!
Patti & Miss Pink Sugarbelle 🙂 <3
P.S. So sorry to hear about your mother's cancer. Sending healing and comfort prayers to her, you and the rest of your family! <3
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Meant every one of them! BIG HUGS! 🙂 <3
She has gotten verrrrrrrrrry big since I wrote this letter and very talkative . She follows me everywhere and has started flopping on her back like the dog for belly rubs Lol. Also the dog is now her best friend, they even sleep together at night. She still LOVES to snuggle and is the absolute sweetest cat ♥️. Still very happy to have adopted her!
I love this story! You saved two precious little lives! Thank you so much. Someone else might have returned them or not have responded fast enough and they would have died. Looks like after all the excitement things have settled down for you all and now you have a happy, loving family. Athena and Nilla are beautiful. Your lab must be gorgeous too. Please give them pets and kisses from me. Thank you for adopting instead of buying. Thank you for saving their lives. I wish we could clone you. Best, Annette