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You are here: Home / Diary / The Cat Show and the Miracle Cat

The Cat Show and the Miracle Cat

January 27, 2014 By: Sparkle Cat60 Comments

This is where my human spent two days instead of assisting me at home

I could tell you all about my human’s weekend at the San Diego Cat Show — about her hard work selling my books (that sometimes paid off), and the awesome show cats she saw, including some crazy Abyssinians (she may yet share a video somewhere) and gorgeous Somalis. I could tell you about the great time she had sharing the booth there with fellow writers Amy Shojai and Arden Moore. But my human’s favorite part of the cat show wasn’t any of that. It was the fact that she got to spend time with Arden Moore’s very special cat, Zeki. My human has been one of Zeki’s fangirls since she saw her at last year’s Cat Writers Conference.

Zeki at the CWA Conference, wishing my human would hurry up and photograph her

An issue of San Diego Pets Magazine with Arden, Zeki and her other four-legged family on the coverZeki is a therapy cat, but she is also much more than that. First, however, I want to tell you a little about her background, because that makes all the difference. When Zeki was less than a year old — still a kitten — she was discovered in a Texas neighborhood, horribly injured. Some unspeakably cruel human had skinned part of her back end. Through the kindness of a nice older lady, this little cat got the care she needed to save and heal her. This lady, although on a limited income, put up the money for the wounded cat’s expensive surgery and aftercare. Zeki spent time healing in the foster care of a well-known cat writer named Dusty Rainbolt. After having Zeki at her house for a while, Dusty realized that this lively, sociable kitty was very special and she contacted Arden, who had recently lost a beloved cat. The rescue that was in charge of Zeki’s adoption made an exception to their usual rule about not allowing out-of-state adoptions, and Zeki came to live with Arden in Oceanside, CA. It was Arden who came up with Zeki’s name, which means both clever and courageous in Turkish (with her distinctive markings, it is believed that Zeki has some Turkish Van blood).

Now comes the amazing part. In spite of her horrible ordeal, Zeki is not only a friendly, gentle cat — she is patient, intelligent and infinitely calm. Arden not only had her certified as a therapy cat, she also uses her in pet first aid demonstrations — in addition to being a noted author, broadcaster and speaker, Arden is a master pet first aid instructor and gives classes all over the U.S. Zeki is the only cat in the U.S. who helps teach cat first aid. And she is brilliant at it.

She totally took this in stride

Arden was able to slip this muzzle on Zeki several times over the weekend as a demonstration. Zeki did not mind at all.

Of course, she also knows she is not going to get pilled!

She did not care about getting wrapped like a burrito either.

Yes, my human was looking at cat blogs

What did she mind? Being put in her pop-up shelter when she was in the mood to be social. She loved visiting with people and sometimes it was really moving, like when she spent a long time in the lap of a terminally ill man. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, my human did not take photos, but it was clear Zeki made a deep connection with him — and many others.

People mistook Zeki for a plushie!

It was a long weekend for Zeki. She is used to being one-on-one with people, and in small groups for classes, so after a big cat show with so many humans coming and going and so many strange cats, she was very tired.

She has a very wise face

Zeki is a very gifted cat, and my human felt really lucky to spend the weekend with her.

Always help kitties

And even though the horrible event that began her journey was over four years ago, which is a very long time in cat years, I wonder sometimes if Zeki does not occasionally dwell on it, and purr for a day when no cat will ever have to suffer like that again.

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Comments

  1. Basil says

    February 3, 2014 at 5:34 am

    Zeki is most pawesomely incredible indeed, thank mew so much fur sharing this 😛

    Reply
  2. Kitty Cat Chronicles says

    February 1, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    Wow, what a story! That is truly touching and inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Rascal and Rocco says

    February 1, 2014 at 10:29 am

    Oh what a story. I can’t imagine how people can be so cruel. So glad this story had a happy ending- a great life for this kitty. And glad you had a great time!

    Reply
  4. Dusty Rainbolt says

    January 31, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    That’s my girl. I’m so happy that Zeki is so loved. This is the ending that everyone who fosters homeless animals prays for. Thanks for a great write up.

    Reply
  5. Amelia Hughes says

    January 29, 2014 at 4:16 am

    Zeki sounds like an amazing cat! It’s so wonderful to see cats (and dogs) that have been through so much and yet they still love and give that love to people who need it most!

    Reply
  6. Basil says

    January 28, 2014 at 1:39 am

    Sounds like one amazing kitty!!

    Reply
  7. Ratty says

    January 27, 2014 at 10:02 pm

    It’s amazing with the terrible experience before that Zeki turned out to be so well adjusted.

    Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. Goodbye, 2014 says:
    December 31, 2014 at 12:10 am

    […] a booth with a couple of other humans from the Cat Writers Association, and Zeki the Cool Cat. Sparkle told her story here. It was a fun weekend, and my human sold quite a few of Sparkle’s books and cards. But it […]

    Reply
  2. Limited Valentine’s Day Card Special | Sparkle the Designer Cat says:
    January 31, 2014 at 10:22 am

    […] my human did sell a number of cards at last weekend’s cat show, she has lots of inventory left over. Most of the cards she will be selling elsewhere, but I […]

    Reply

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