My Cat Journey .........

by angelina diantonio
(sea isle city , nj)

Growing up my grandmother had a stunning Siamese cat named Charlie Wong. Beautiful on the inside also. I guess he would have been an Old Fashioned Traditional Siamese . He had a round face and he was amazing. Charlie Wong was definitely a mamma's boy. My grandmother worked all the time at our store . So Charlie Wong would managed to get out and go the 12 blocks to our store. Finally my grandmother let him live at the store because that's what made him happy. I have the fondest memories of that cat. We had a lot of expensive crystal and he never broke anything in the store. He would sleep on the shelves and every once in a while you would here a scream from a customer when Charlie Wong moved . He would just purr and let them pet him. He was a dream ! Growing up I always wanted my own Siamese . My brother was allergic and we had dogs. Then in my late 20's I moved into an apartment and went to the Humane Society to see what I could find. At the time two Persian cats had almost died in an unbearable abusive situation . I knew no one would take them and no one would take the sisters together. Marcella and Rosalena I named them.They were petrified for months but I let them be . Then one day I hurt my back. I have a spinal condition called Cerebral Anoxia. I spent months in a chair not being able to sleep in the bed it was too painful.Rosalena came over and sat on my lap and Marcella sat next to me and put her paw on my leg .From that moment on they never left my side. Got me through many tough times , 5 years of infertility, one miscarriage, losing my sister and niece in a car accident , marriage and 3 pregnancies. Best friends I will love you for all of eternity !I did spend a fortune getting rotting teeth removed . One at a time the vet did. It was my stupidity I should have done it all at once. It was too much on the cats and very expensive. Until last year they were healthy.They got sick with the Iams recall food. Liver and Kidneys started to go . I lost both my precious angels within months. Best eleven years my best friends.The pain was so deep I looked on pet-finder for two Siamese cats . I had waited along time for my Siamese. I was looking for cats until one of the ladies said please take kittens we have so many and they are dieing. I found these two beauties who were rescued form a kill shelter in Virginia. I live in South Jersey but the Humane Society in Virginia said they transport animals every weekend. We started our long journey to North jersey . Got lost over and over . Could have driven to Virginia by the time we found them. Of course the directions home the woman gave us could not have been easier !!!!! Took the parkway for 3 hours and were home . Took us 6 hours to get to them. Two beautiful kittens looking into my eyes saying hi mom. My newborn and the kittens are the same age. It will be nice to have one birthday party for all 3 ! I also have a two year old and a husband. Well it has been 2 months and we have all adjusted well. The kittens have the sharpest nails and teeth imaginable. I had them fixed and they were troopers !!!! We thought both were female and then the ones little balls popped out right in front of me. So we changed his name . We named them Rosabella & Romeo . We just love them to bits !!!!!!I would like to thank the Humane Society of Amherst County Virginia and Leah from THE HARVEST MOON Antique shop in Stewartsville, NJ for helping us find our babies . Our beautiful babies are a true blessing. I think my Rosalena & Marcella sent them to us to be a family !!!!! We named the kittens as a family . My nephew named Rosabella after both Rosalena & Marcella ( which we called Chella Bella ) . Romeo I just fell in love with the name because he is a flirt and definitely a Romeo ! I call him my little lovey dovey .Both kittens have been great with the kids . This way they can grow up together !!!!!