Rescued and Loved
Simba Kitty was a special little kitten. Someone left her behind, like Pumpkin before her. She was wandering about the apartment complex parking lot, but she was definitely not an outdoor cat. Someone was poisoning cats in the complex. Even the landlord’s beloved cat, Trouble, was killed. There was no way we were going to allow that to happen to this little furry purr motor.
VITALS
- Name: Simba Kitty
- Gender: Female
- Birthday: October 1, 2000 (Approximately)
- Died: January 18, 2003 (2 years, 3 months)
- Hometown: Visalia, California
OCCUPATION
- Teacher (of Other Cats)
FAVORITES
- Food: Tuna!
- Treats: Any.
- Toys: “Fishing pole” pom-pom, shoelaces, and “light spots” reflected on walls.
- Beds: Next to Papa at night and Mom in the morning.
SPECIAL
- She really loved it when we came home each night. Simba adored racing us to chairs, the kitchen table, and even to bed.
Simba’s Shelf
On her fading and dirty red collar tag was a little blue metal “dog bone.” There was a name and phone number, which we called several times. After no response for three weeks, Simba ended up joining the rest of the pack. Yes, we know Simba was a male cub in the Disney cartoon The Lion King — but this cat was a little princess.
When we took her in, she was tiny. Very tiny. It’s a shame we don’t have many photos; she was adorable. For the first six months or so, Simba was Susan’s cat at night. Over time, she’d come to alternate which of us she would cuddle up next to.
We “officially” adopted Simba on June 6, 2001, when we had her spayed and all vaccinations updated. She passed every test and the vet assured us she was the model of health.
Every cat has a favorite spot or two, and Simba’s favorites were on our kitchen table and on top of our entertainment center. She didn’t belong on the table, but she was too cute to remove. At the time, no other cat tried to lounge on the table. She simply wanted to have you in sight. If you were watching TV, Simba would be watching you.
At dinner time, Simba would sit near the refrigerator, silently hinting it was time for her “wet” food. She loved wet food and crunchy snacks. She did not like catnip, though.
Bedtime Cuddles
At night, when we turned off the television and living room lights, Simba would race to be the first to bed. She wanted to be cuddled up next to someone, not stuck sharing the foot of the bed with other cats! She would run down the hall at full speed, jump onto a bed, and flop down on the sheets.
Simba would sleep right underneath your arms, curled up into a tight little ball of fur. In the morning, she’d be awake with the sunrise. Simba would sit on your stomach or back, gently kneading to inform you that it was time for her breakfast.
Dormant FeLV
After living with the rest of the pack as our beloved little girl for two years (to the day), a slight case of pneumonia activated her latent feline leukemia. No one knew she had been a carrier; we had made sure her vaccines were up-to-date the moment we adopted her.
Support efforts to fight FeLV and visit the ASPCA website. Simba was one of too many kitties to pass away early because of feline leukemia. She died much too early. Please, vaccinate your kittens.
It wasn’t fair that such a sprite of energy failed so quickly. We did all we could to help her, before we knew it was FeLV. The brave J.C. Kitty even donated blood to Simba to help her regain strength at the pet emergency hospital near our apartment. There was nothing we wouldn’t have tried to save her. Sadly, her body was shutting down.
Simba was put to sleep January 18, 2003 after a week and a half of health problems. She is still missed, even by the other cats. Pumpkin seems to have been the most affected, sadly. Poor little guy.
Other cats have been with us much longer, but Simba’s two years left her little dainty paw prints in our hearts for the rest of our lives.