It was an accident that brought a cat into our home. Oh sure, we’ve always fed a bunch of feral barn strays but we’ve operated under a strict “no cats in the house” policy. Then Doobie came along.

She was the sole survivor of a brand new litter that was in an unfortunate spot when the tractor left the barn. It was unclear who or where the mother was; otherwise we’d have left the kitten under her professional care. But, with no mama cat around, we scooped up the little fur ball and headed to the house.

With a whole lot of help from Google and a quick trip to our vet, we got set up with bottles, nipples, formula, and everything else new cat parents need. With a little bit of practice, we got the Doobster to take her bottle without much of a fight. We fed her every couple of hours for the first few weeks, mixing up a fresh batch of formula each time.

What goes in must come out though, right? We read the part where cat mothers gently lick their kittens’ private parts to stimulate peeing and pooping. This was gonna be new and different, to say the least. However, we had to draw the line somewhere, so we used a soft cloth instead of tongues. It worked. Thankfully.

We must have done something right because Doobie didn’t just survive. She thrived. Somehow she managed to learn how to be a cat, despite having such poor examples for parents. She’s the strange little stepsister the inside dogs never asked for. But we all manage to co-exist without too much drama meow.

JUST THE FACTS:

• Name: Doobie aka Dubinsky aka Doobus
• Breed: Ragdoll mix
• Born: July 2021
• Adopted: July 2021
• Favorite Toy: Some stick with a feather on it
• Favorite Snack: Sheba salmon flavored meat sticks

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