cats – Mama on the Move

Paws, Purrs & New Beginnings: Our Journey to Adopting Guido

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Mama

It will probably come as a bit of a surprise to those who have been following me for a while, that we’ve decided to adopt a new kitten. Earlier this year I sadly lost my last two remaining girls – Willow and Salem. I vowed to not get another pet for a long time, but vows have been broken!

I started to long for the companionship of another pet, something that was coming and going over the last month or so. I kept telling myself it isn’t the right time and I don’t need the headache of finding someone to watch him or her while we’re gone. However, my husband says I manifested this one by looking at kittens every day on the SPCA website. It’s a possibility that I may have, but my witch secrets will never be revealed! Needless to say, the opportunity arose, we discussed it and ultimately felt it would be really great for Valeria to grow up with her own little cat. Best friends if you will.

Picture this….SPCA 2025…. Insert dream sequence here will you..

I had spoken with my mom regarding a cat for Christmas, she has been missing the companionship of pets as well, since her little dogs had also passed away this year. We discussed it and eventually landed on this one little precious kitten:

Cutie patootie right?! Her name is now Raven

I filled out the paperwork and got a response to come for a meet and greet. Well, I adored her as soon as we saw her and knew so would my parents. She came home and her little adventure was told in another post: https://mamaonthemove1.com/2025/12/04/tiny-paws-christmas-awe-the-sweetest-surprise-for-my-parents/, so I won’t rehash all the details. However, when we were there, the lady let us know that she had brothers who hadn’t been adopted yet. Of course that peaked my interest and I had to ask which ones and she gladly let us know. I asked if I had to reapply and she said ‘Nope, just shoot me a reply on the email you have for the adoption..”

As we left and began our trek home back on the highway, I looked up her brothers. I would have taken one of them home right then and there, however none of them were there at the moment. People graciously foster these babies until they get adopted. Still some good people out there in the world! We landed on “Croc”, as the staff aptly named him. Anthony and I discussed it and ultimately decided that it would be wonderful for Valeria and would make her incredibly happy. Also to teach her some responsibility. Plus bonus for me too! I made sure 100% that Anthony was okay with the decision and he was. I told him that would be my Christmas gift and I was done. He agreed, however I KNOW he will end up getting me another gift. Unnecessary, but highly thoughtful of him!

That day, I sent a message and we set up a meet and greet on December 5th. We let Valeria know that she will be getting a cat of her very own, even showing a picture of him to her. Which she jumped up and down, her whole body FULL of pure joy and excitement.

All week Valeria kept asking about her kitty “Guido” which is what we have named him. Friday, finally arrived and we headed to my mother-in-law’s for the day and got to spend a lot of time with my husband’s side of the family. Which again, Valeria was super excited to see her Buni and spend time with her and her cousins. But the day flew by quickly and we were now needing to leave to go get our little Guido. Our appointment was at 5 PM.

We did a quick little meeting with him so Valeria could actually see him, paperwork followed along with payment and then back in the car to hit the highway. We got home around 7 PM.

When we got home, I set up his litter box, his food dish with fresh water and brought his cat tree to his little area for the night. He was a bit skittish, but he warmed up so fast and LOVES cuddles and affection. He doesn’t seem to enjoy loud noises or being startled, but we are still really new to him. He is such a sweet boy and Valeria is obsessed. She wants him to Nani with her all the time, she also follows him around constantly. She played and watched him all last night until she went to bed.

He’s a short-haired all black cat, when we got him we thought his eyes were like his sisters – which are yellow-brown, however his are slightly different. When he was in the sunlight today, I noticed that right around is pupil he has a beautiful green colour and then it melds into an amber yellow. His ear is clipped like his sisters, apparently this is done to show that he has been neutered and chipped. In case he ever gets out and picked up by animal control. I personally love it and think it gives him this edgy, badass look. He is much bigger than his sister in size and weight. I can’t wait to see him fully grown!

When Valeria woke up this morning and I went into her room, I stated I was going to feed Guido. She of course got excited and said “Help Mommy” and of course I don’t mind her helping at all. So we took his food to his dish and the three of us watched him eat. It’s kind of comical to watch though because he does a bit of dry, than wet and just back and forth until he was full. We played with him a bit and then went upstairs to make breakfast and get ready for the day. He is definitely more vocal than his sister, he literally sat at the top of the stairs meowing until I opened the door. I let him explore and roam around the main floor. I don’t want to overwhelm him with too much, so slowly but surely letting him explore at his own pace.

He has now explored each floor to an extent, and has cuddled with all of us while Anthony read a book to Valeria. She still doesn’t know how to quite react to him wanting to sit on her lap and cuddle with her. She just goes “Mommy, go mommy” and tries to wiggle free and then pet him. She’s learning! I sense they will be best buddies, he keeps trying to grab her attention. Two babies trying to play with each other and not quite sure how to.

We will be heading to the pet store to pick up some food and toys for him and that’s about it! Eventually we will bring him to see his sister or vice versa, but for now we want him to get acclimated to his new home.

We are so happy to welcome our little Guido to the family and hopefully we will have many more stories of Valeria and his shenanigans in the future!

Hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!!

Extra Tidbits

Animals

Posted on March 17, 2024August 8, 2024 by Mama

It’s a wonder I can get anything done these days and what seems like a step forward in one direction of my life, is a step back in a different part.

I’m very much an animal lover and it’s not any surprise that I have…a few. My girls are getting up there in age and have lost one already two years ago. I had three; two beautiful cats and a dog.

When I lost my cat Paige, it was devastating to say the least. My mom bought her when I was 18 as an emotional support animal, I was going through massive depression at the time. She was the bright light in a dark spot. She was so tiny that she fit in the palm of my hand; she had beautiful piercing blue eyes and all white with a little pink nose. She was perfect. I had no clue what to name her so I figured it would come to me in time and she made it known what she wanted to be called. That night as we laid in bed together, I was reading and she, being the mischievous kitten that she was, began to scratch and bite at the pages of my book. Not wanting to stop and that’s how she received the name Paige.

Sadly, I found out very early on that she had kidney crystals, which I monitored but never seemed to bother her as the years went on. Unfortunately, her kidney problems were what caused her to go so suddenly. It was a weekend my boyfriend (now husband) had come up to see me and we noticed she wasn’t wanting to eat or drink, barely moving. I couldn’t quite understand it because days before she was her normal self. I called the vet, and at this point my boyfriend had gone home and I had to make the very hard decision to put her down. Driving to and from the vet’s office that day alone was a terrible idea and truthfully I am not sure how I made it home intact. I cried the whole way home….driving….I really am surprised I’m alive. But it wasn’t a life for her to sit in pain and suffering, so it needed to be done, even if it hurt.

Sadly, I may need to make that decision again with my cat Salem. She is not doing well at all and she is extremely constipated again. She drinks very little and eats hardly anything. I will have to probably make that hard decision, but I will see what the vet has to say. But honestly, it’s not looking great. It hurts just thinking about the potential of not coming home with her from that appointment because I was hoping Valeria would have at least a few years with her. Salem is about 16 years old, though she could be older.

When I adopted her, the vet could only give me an estimate on her age. She was left on the streets by her previous owner (something that happens quite often where I lived in Alberta it seemed) and when the vet’s office decided to help Bylaw by housing some of the animals they brought in, that’s how Salem came to be in my life. I was a vet kennel assistant, so my job was to clean and take care of the animals for the most part. I loved it and I got to spend all day with animals. But she would only come out of her cage for me and initially we had jokingly named her Oreo, she is black and white after all, but those piercing yellow eyes are what got her current name. When I sent mom a photo of her pawing at my face and asking if I could adopt her, well that was it. She became Salem after that and has been mine ever since.

Willow, so playful! Just look at all her toys

My Dog Willow would be the youngest of the three and even she is getting up there. My big fluff ball is 14 years old already. My mom had found a “breeder” that was selling American Eskimo dogs, however when we got there it was awful. It was a farm, the woman brought us to this tiny shed with no windows, she opened the door and inside it was extremely dark. She flashed a light inside and there were 4 different breeds of dogs and all their puppies crammed into this little shed. At the time we didn’t think to report her, but we really should have. My heart broke for these animals and they were being completely mistreated. Willow was only four weeks old and the lady wanted the puppies gone so bad she basically shoved her into my hands and I couldn’t leave her in that place any longer, so we took her. It’s not ideal to take a puppy away from it’s mother so young, it’s really terrible to be honest because they learn valuable lessons from their mother and siblings. However I have no regrets; she has been such a silly, smart girl, with a bit of an aggressive side. With taking her so young, she has some behavioral problems. And NO I did not make her aggressive if that’s what you think.

Unfortunately for Willow, she is old and having trouble getting up and less active so she has put on quite a bit of weight. I need to shave her down for the summer so she can at least be a little cooler while she lounges outside with mama and baby. The reality is, I don’t think she has much time left either and eventually I will have to make a decision for her as well.

I’ve loved having pets since I can remember and I still talk about some of our beloved pets who have since passed; Brandy (our first childhood dog – smartest hunting dog), Sasha (my mom’s sweet little Shih Tzu), One eye Winston (Shih Tzu we adopted, obviously had one eye), and now Paige. The wonderful memories we have of all of them trumps the loss.

Having animals is difficult and as much as people hate hearing this, they do become a part of your life and family. The love and affection they bring to your life and that you show them is just like having another family member. The only difference is, who will watch them while your on vacation?! The worst is the heartache that comes with losing them, too quickly might I add. I’m not sure I want Valeria or my future kids to go through that when they are young. Once my girls are gone, I will have to take a break owning any pets.

Maybe my husband and I will consider it when the kids are older, if they want something, but while they are young I will have to say no. Than again, we will see what the future holds!

Wish me the best for Salem, I will need all the positive energy I can get and I apologize for the slightly sad post. But this is the reality I’m facing at the moment and I needed to get it out of my head.

Have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world.

Ciao!!

Extra Tidbits

Impromptu Veterinary Visit

Posted on January 30, 2024August 8, 2024 by Mama

For the past several days, my cat Salem, has been hiding from us and I figured she just wanted a bit of peace from the chaos. She is an elderly cat of 15 years old.

Unfortunately, she has a history of constipation issues…I know yuck! But I love her and found out that she got into the dog food the other day, which is not ideal since we have her on special dietary food. Then as the days went on, I started to notice her usual signs: hiding, lethargic, drinking but not eating the last two days and I knew it was time to contact the vets office.

Now, I didn’t expect to get in the same day, but they were able to squeeze me in yesterday thankfully. Except it was an emergency fee cost, so higher then a normal appointment, but to be honest that wasn’t my concern at the moment. Called at 9 AM and her appointment was at 10:30 AM. Luckily, Valeria had been up for a bit already, and she was about to go down for a nap after the phone call. Nap time completed, and my mom was gracious enough to watch her as we took Salem to her appointment.

Now, to coax her out from her hiding place under the bed. Cruelly, I had to shake a bag of treats to get her out, knowing very well that I wasn’t going to give her any. I know! It’s terribly mean, but trust me, her little belly couldn’t handle it. She slowly crawled out from under the bed; we had the carrier ready to go and my husband swooped her up and got her inside. She was not a happy camper because she knows exactly where she is going when we put her in there.

A five minute drive later, a bit of a wait in the waiting room and then finally got into our appointment. The nurse and veterinarian were both very kind and gentle with my poor fur baby and very understanding. They gave us an estimate as to the cost, if we went with ALL the treatments suggested. That was very kind and considerate. However, when we received the estimate my heart nearly dropped. I asked that we have some privacy for my husband and I to discuss the cost. If we went with everything suggested for treatment, it would have been $1,390! Isn’t that insane!!!???

We both immediately couldn’t believe it and this was for constipation. Could you imagine for a seriously sick kitty or pup? We opted out of the X-rays and blood work. She had some about a year and a half ago. Plus both of those were the highest cost: X-rays at $440 and blood work at $322. Knocking those off the treatment plan dropped the cost quite significantly. I know what your probably thinking, but with a baby at home we had to choose what was best. I know my cat Salem, she really just needed an enema to clear her out. We left her there for the day and headed home.

Valeria was a little chatter box today, babbling away nonstop and it is absolutely precious. I think my favourite is when she talks to my crystals or the leopard print couch cover that I have. She just laughs and babbles. It was a bright spot to this hectic day.

I then got a phone call from the veterinary office, informing of the progress they made with Salem. She did fabulous! They got quite a bit out of her, and that she would be a little tender for a few days, so pain medication and stool softener were key. Not to mention lots of wet food and water. We were able to come pick her up at 4:30 PM.

She was very out of it when we picked her up. They needed to sedate her through an IV, so she was pretty quiet on the ride home. She seemed happy to be home though, she sauntered out of that carrier, okay it was stumbled out! She immediately went to drink water and then wanted some affection from mama, which I happily gave. I set up a pillow by my desk so that she could sit on something nice and comfy, but to also be close to me. I started her pain medication last night and this morning I give her the pain medication and put the stool softener in her food (which she refused to touch after she ran from me), she was not a fan of having the pain medication squirted into her mouth.

She hid under the bed for most of the day, finally coming out around lunch time to eat and drink a little bit, then back to her hidey-hole. It’s going to be very scheduled with her medications and food. I just can’t watch her suffer, I love and adore her so much. Plus I want her to be a little fur friend for Valeria when she is older.

What we do for our fur babies huh?

Ciao!