Here are some facinating facts about Isabel:


** Isabel lived in an area around a rather large and spralled out apartment complex for at least several months of her young life. At one point, she took shelter under one of the apartment buildings, until the owner of the apartment buildings had her "entrance" sealed over. We don't know where she sheltered after that, but she did remain in the area.

** The tennants of one of the apartments put food and milk out for Isabel, but because pets were not allowed in the apartments, she had to remain outside, despite the weather, and her advancing pregnancy. We think she must have been dumped in the area, possibly the first time she was pregnant. It did become clear fairly quickly after we got her that she had once been someone's pet, and probably kept indoors.

** According to the apartment tennants and the veterinarian that examined Isabel, she had been pregnant at least once before, but no one ever saw any kittens. We assume they did not survive. Life is incredibly hard for kitties that have to fend for themselves against the harshness of nature, and the presence of other animals, such as dogs or tomcats.

** Isabel was quite shy when we first saw her, but our patience won out and she eventually came to us. Because we had not expected to catch her so easily (we had been looking several days with no luck) we hadn't taken a carrier with us that day! She rode home free in the car...not something I would actually recommend doing! But considering her advanced pregnancy, we were unwilling to risk releasing her and trying to catch her later. That turned out to be a good call.



This is Isabel under the bed.


** When we got Isabel home, she immediately ran under the bed. Fearing we had a feral kitty on our hands, we set out to make several "birthing boxes" available for her to chose from so that she could quickly settle in and become comfortable, and her stress level would be lower by the time she gave birth. While preparing the boxes, my nine-year-old son came in, leaned down to her and told her, "We won't hurt you, Isabel." She immediately came out and began rubbing against him and head bunting him. Within minutes she made up to all of us, and it turns out she's a real cuddle bug!



Isabel coming out to bond with my son.



A little more bonding.


** We "caught" Isabel on Saturday, March 13th, and took her to the vet on Monday, March 15th. She was pronounced amazingly healthy, all things considered. The vet estimated between three and six kittens, and that she would give birth within days. He also said she was between one and two years old.

** About 24 hours later, Oz was born. We just missed his birth, but managed to be there for all the rest. The babies were all quite good size (particularly Kibo), and very healthy! Isabel was just a darling, allowing us to help her clean and dry her babies when she was too tired to finish one right away. But from the first birth, she showed herself to be a loving, caring, and very concerned mama! She never let those babies out of her sight for the first two weeks. We even had to feed her with the babies, because she wouldn't go more than two feet from them for weeks! We think it might be because her first litter didn't survive, and she feared losing these as well.

** Isabel did, for a few weeks, develop a "nipping" problem, but we think it was due to the stress of being moved, giving birth, and being handled more than she was used to. It's been almost two months since she nipped anyone, but even when she did nip, it was more like a "love bite" than a true bite, and she always looked startled afterward, as if to say, "Did I just do that? Oops! Sorry!" Considering everything she had been through, we never held it against her, and she never minded us handling her babies.

** Isabel is just a fantastic cat, and would make a wonderful pet for anyone! She's TOTALLY up to date on ALL her shots, and has been spayed. The vet has pronounced her amazingly healthy considering what she's been through recently.

** We'd love to see Isabel go to a home where she can be an indoor kitty, as she shows no desire to ever go outside again (I think she's had enough of that!), but an indoor/outdoor home would be nice, too. She does well with children, but I'd recommend restricting contact with very young children until she's totally comfortable in your home and with your family.