Paws Up for Wednesday—Olivia Turns Four Today

Four years ago (in 2020, during a world-wide pandemic) Olivia was born under a house in the Los Angeles area. When she was about six or seven weeks old she was trapped with other kittens—possibly her siblings—and transported to ResQcats in Santa Barbara to be cared for and hopefully adopted.

Jeffyne, who runs ResQcats knew we had just lost Lily and that we wanted to make a home for another needy cat, so she sent us a picture of Olivia. How could we resist that head tilt? There was no visiting kittens that year to see if there were any warm-fuzzy feeling between you and a cat or kitten. We had to make our decision on that picture and we said, “Yes.”

Before we could bring her home, however, her siblings came down with ringworm, which meant, she, too, had to be treated. So it was another couple of weeks before we could formally meet the kitten named Olivia.

Finally the day came. Believe it or not the exchange took place in a parking lot (of the local Humane Society). Olivia (who came with that name) had just been spayed and was coming out of the fog. We peeked through the holes in the carrier, confirmed our original decision and that day we brought Olivia home.

Needless to say she was a purr-fect fit for our household, which included a human surrogate mom and dad and an elderly tortie named Sophie.

Olivia was naturally frightened and unsure at first, but I believe our patience with her and Sophie’s presence helped her over the hump and she quickly became an active part of the family.

Today, Olivia is an only cat who is very much loved and doted on and she’s the star of my second cozy cat mystery series, the Calico Cat Mysteries. Book 20 of the Calico Cat Mysteries is due to be launched in a few days. So watch for the announcement. And by the way, Happy Birthday Miss Crossy-Paws, Fluffy-butt, Precious Olivia. We adore you and the way you adore us.