It's Joy Noelle's birthday!

Today is my little girl, Joy Noelle's, [made-up] birthday--she's sweet 16! I've had her since she was about 5 weeks old. This is from today, eating from her pink 'Princess' bowl on my bed:



Last year, after being diagnosed with renal failure and losing half her weight, I wasn't sure we'd see 16. But she's rebounded incredibly! Her most recent labs--which we all expected to show a decline in renal function--had actually IMPROVED since the last set.

She's my bundle of joy!

*Adopt, don't shop.*​

 

I've come across a few people with that name, but only AFTER I already had her; also some merchandise [bedding sets, I think] called the Joy Noelle Collection.

Thanks.. I think so, too.

Here's a pic I took her first night; my late Mom came up with the word bubble idea:



With two curious Great Danes in the house, I had to figure out where to put her until morning; she got the front bathroom. For scale, that gold box was about six inches square.

 

Just a regular old 4-bedroom house. That was in Dallas. By the time we moved, only Freddie [my favorite] was left.

Two Great Danes were nothing! We had as many as five at once over the years. The two I mentioned, Freddie Mercury and his sister Queen, really never affected anyone's space. I mean, at 182 and 178 pounds, they were like having two other adults in the house. Freddie had his own [oversized] chair, and they were really only a problem when BOTH tried to get on the bed at night...

They weren't allowed in the den. In theory. I brought Joy Noelle inside by putting her in my shirt. As I walked in the front door, Freddie and Queenie KNEW something was in Mommy's shirt, but they didn't know what. Picture two giant noses--with big floppy lips flapping--sniffing and nudging your shirt right under your chin; that's what they did. I made my way to the den...and Little Freddie strolled right in behind me! I walked him back out--and shut the door. They'd never seen a kitten--all my previous rescues during their lifetime were adult cats, so this 1-1/2 pound kitten puzzled them.

 

More.

Ha ha! It wasn't so bad. They each had their own spot around the house--they worked that out amongst themselves. It really just didn't seem like a crowd, or a burden. [Only when checking out at the vet's office...or buying food...toys...chew-things... But they were so worth it!]

 

Honestly, yes, of course, but...

Since being put on k/d [prescription food for renal failure] last year, the cat food bill has definitely gone up. The other three cats eat Canidae grain-free dry food, which is always down for grazing, plus a variety of canned food at night. Joy Noelle's food is a lot more expensive than theirs! But, as I told my vet years ago, I'd get a mortgage on my house--or sell a kidney! --to pay for her care if need be. She's worth every penny, and then some.

The whole reason I named her Joy is because that's what she's been since the minute I got her. I kept saying, "she's such a joy to have around!" while struggling to think up a good name--and then it hit me!

 

Okay...?

 

Thanks! I can't believe she's 16 already. It really seems like just yesterday that she fit easily in one hand.

I'm so grateful to have her.

 

Winter?! What is this winter I've heard rumors of?

 

Oh, shit! I remember that! When I lived in Dallas, winters got down into single digits--and I have the dubious distinction of having lived there when it hit its still-standing, record low temperature of -1 degree. There's just NOTHING like scraping ice off your windshield...with frozen hands...and running your car's heater and defrosters to melt the other windows' ice. UGH!

Being back home in sunny, warm, beautiful Southern California for 14 years ALMOST made me forget!

So how long are your winters up there? I know when my daughter lived in New York, they seemed to go on forever. When will you see spring?

 

You got it! I'm impressed.

I went with the feminine spelling, Noelle, because, well, she's a girl! But the holiday connection was absolutely part of my thought process in naming her. She arrived on November 22--right before the holidays.

And, FWIW, she forever changed my lifelong, sad connotation of 'Dallas' and 'November 22.' [Young whippersnappers may not get this..but my fellow Baby Boomers will.]