Hi. I am the beautiful and vivacious terrorizer of toys and chaser of cats, but the people around here all call me Isabella. I guess that's okay, but what does it mean? I like it better when they call me Izzy Pop! That's me! That's me! I used to live somewhere else in a room with some other cats. That was fun but I guess I did something wrong because the next thing I knew the people shut me in a carrier. No litter box, no food, no toys, just a blanket and
Now I have my own room, with my own litter box, water, and special kitten food. These new people even gave me my own toys, fifteen or maybe more! I got to try something that they call wet food for the first time, and they told me it was special for kittens just like the other food. Someone even stays with me and plays and sleeps with me most of the time. I went to a new vet and he said I was
a box. I was taken to a place which smelled smoky and I spent a lot of my time in the carrier. They let me out when I made a big fuss about using the litter box and eating. They gave me grown up kitty food, which even I know is wrong. Two days later I didn't feel well. I sneezed a lot and blood came out of my nose. They gave me a pill and put me in the carrier again.
Later that same day two new people showed up they let me out and eventually took me away. I know that it took some time for them to convince the people who had me that they really wanted to take me home. The people who had me kept saying nasty things about me. They said I walked funny and I would never get better. They said that I was aggressive and mean, and the other cats at the shelter didn't like me. I'm not aggressive; I just know what I want. I'm Izzy Pop! I want to play! Everybody knows that my kind of kitty is just assertive.
Isabella does have some problems that will never go away. She has what the vet calls a skeletal abnormality to her back legs. She can get around okay, and jumps like her paws are spring-loaded, but she will have problems walking. She is expected to develop arthritis early, and it will most likely be debilitating. The Somali breed is prone to kidney problems with female cats being more likely to have them than the male.
When we found her at a shelter, we were discouraged from taking her home. Perhaps they were just making sure that we knew what we were getting into and took the responsibility seriously, but we felt a clear message that they considered this kitten to be damaged: sick, deformed, antisocial, and maybe more trouble than she's worth. We've adopted "difficult" cats before, so that didn't deter us. We saw a special personality in her, so we accepted the responsibility for her care. But of course there are many cats like Isabella who unfortunately may not receive needed treatment due to a lack of funds. We hope this foundation may help provide care to cats with special needs who require some financial assistance, so that they may go on living with gusto.
right, I was very sick. I had two kinds of internal parasites and had lost weight. That's really bad for a kitten you know, we are supposed to gain weight. I have had lots of different vaccinations and medicine and feel much better. I know there are other kitties in the house and I want to play with them. I guess they will get sick though so I have to stay by myself for a little longer.
Izzy's Story