This past weekend, Humom and Sauerkraut and I had our second visit to The Cat Connection in Dallas, Texas. It was a great event! Here are some of my thoughts from the trip:​

• The Cat Connection hosted their first Cat Café of 2016 while we were there. If you have a chance to go to the Cat Café there - or to one anywhere - take the time and go!  Farmers Branch Animal Shelter (a portion of the profits from Sauerkraut’s merchandise sales went to them) had a basketful of kittens and one young cat to the café so people could drink coffee and sit around in a comfortable setting and just talk and pet cats. What more could a person want?!

• The neighborhood around The Cat Connection has a bazillion restaurants. I mean it. There was no kind of restaurant we would have wanted to eat at that they didn’t have. We wanted a vegetarian-friendly restaurant and voila! - there’s Yard House, a restaurant that specializes in Gardein dishes. SO GOOD!

We want to say a HUGE Thank You to The Cat Connection for hosting us at their first Cat Café of 2016. It was a blast and we can’t wait to come back!​

Next week, Humom and Sauerkraut and I are headed to The Windy City! For details about that Meet & Greet, check out the main page of Sauerkraut’s website, or better yet, you can visit the Naperville Area Humane Society's page and sign up on their Facebook Event so we know you’re coming!  Hope to see you there!

There are all kinds of exciting things happening in Sauerkraut's world lately - here's a recap of what's going on!​

​

• Sauerkraut is going on the road! On Saturday, April 9, Sauerkraut will be appearing at The Cat Connection in Dallas, TX! Check out the details of her appearance on the Cat Connection's website.  This is the second time Sauerkraut will appear at The Cat Connection - it's a wonderful place that does amazing things, has great merchandise, and the cat café is a lot of fun!

For our friends in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s almost springtime! With the upcoming warmer days, many of us will be spending more time outdoors, raising windows, throwing open the doors, and welcoming the warm fresh air. Also, Sauerkraut and her siblings will be spending more time out on the catio, and that reminded me it’s nearly time for their annual checkup and vaccinations.

I got to wondering about vaccinations - what’s necessary? How often? Why do we even need them? I mean, when I think about when I was a kid, I don’t remember taking the family dog or cat to the vet or getting them vaccinated. So what’s the big deal?​

So I set an appointment with Sauerkraut’s vet, Dr. Alisha Rogers at Swaim Serum Vet Clinic to get some answers. She gave such great information and advice, I wanted to share it with everyone.

​However, I want to make sure you know that this is general information, and not intended to be veterinary advice, product recommendation, or what’s right for you and your pet. Always consult with your own veterinarian to determine a proper course and treatment for your animals.

Timing

I always thought that spring is the best time for vaccinations, but Dr. Rogers said that isn’t necessarily true. “Any time is a good time for vaccinations. They’re mostly based on your pet’s age. The first shots come when they’re kittens - around 6 weeks, and then a booster about every three weeks until 16 weeks of age. Regular veterinary check-ups should take place every year, even though some vaccinations are once every three years, depending what your pet receives.”​

The initial vaccines and boosters are most important because kittens, like young human children, are most susceptible to illness until their immune systems can better develop.
​

Core/Non-Core Vaccinations

Just what *are* the important vaccinations, you may wonder? “There’s a combo vaccination,” Dr. Rogers said, “that covers the three core elements: Feline Panleukopenia (Feline Parvovirus), FHV-1 (Feline Herpesvirus-1, also called Rhinotracheitis), and FCV (Feline Calicivirus).

“Interestingly, rabies isn’t considered to be a ‘core’ vaccination,” Dr. Rogers went on, “but it’s important to know that almost everywhere, vaccination against rabies is required by law.”

The non-core vaccinations include rabies, Chlamydiosis, Bordetella bronchiseptica, FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus), FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), Giardiasis, and dermatophyte vaccines.

“Although a non-core vaccine, FeLV is a highly infectious virus and depending on risk and exposure, your cat should be vaccinated for FeLV. Prior to vaccination, a FeLV/FIV/Heartworm Snap Test should be performed. FIP and FIV vaccinations are controversial and risks versus benefits should be discussed with your veterinarian.” (If your cat was vaccinated for FIV and a FeLV/FIV/Heartworm Snap Test is run, the cat will test *positive* for FIV - the doctor/shelter will not know if your cat tests FIV-positive due to the vaccination or from exposure to the virus.)​

Different cats have different needs for these vaccinations, somewhat depending on their risk factors. For example, if your cat doesn’t have outdoor access, or isn’t ever boarded, then it has lower risks. Check with your vet to determine which vaccines are right for your cat based on their environment.

Adjuvants

I’d heard that there was a danger of sarcomas at the site of a vaccine injection, so I asked Dr. Rogers about that. “Fortunately, the incidence of sarcoma at the injection site has gone way down, mostly because some vaccines are non-adjuvanted. However, there still have been some risks associated with vaccinations which you should discuss with your veterinarian.”​

According to the Humane Society of the United States, “An adjuvant is a substance added to a killed-virus vaccine to enhance the immune system's reaction. In the case of cat vaccines, the adjuvant was aluminum salts, and aluminum has been found in excised tumors.” However, now vaccines have been developed that contain no adjuvants, such as Merial’s PUREVAX® family of vaccines, which is what Sauerkraut receives, and they are just as effective in the preventative care of your cat.

What to look for

There are signs of possible infection that you can look for, including (but not limited to) weight loss, loss of appetite, lethargy, pale gums, discharge from the eyes or nose, labored breathing, or vomiting/diarrhea. 

Once a vaccination has been administered, it’s important to look also for reactions to the shot, including loss of appetite, fever, lethargy, swelling at the injection site, facial swelling, or vomiting/diarrhea. 

If any of these symptoms occur, it’s best to consult with your vet as soon as possible.

Resources

There are a lot of great resources out there for pet owners.  For information, check the American Association of Feline Practitioners website, which has a lot of great links and articles. Also, Cornell University also has some great resources about vaccinations.

Of course, meeting with a veterinarian is great because they have the most recent information available, and they can help you determine the best course of care and treatment for your pet by engaging in a conversation with you about their habits, risks, and routines.

If you're having trouble with affording vaccinations for your pets, discuss it with your veterinarian to find what local resources might be available. For example, here in Oklahoma, the Central Oklahoma Humane Society offers low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and vaccines.

The Why

As I indicated at the beginning of the post, I don’t ever remember getting vaccines for our pets when I was a kid. It’s very possible my family did get our pets regular veterinary care and vaccinations, and I just don’t remember it. But I also know that regular vaccinations and veterinary care is much more common now than it was even 20 years ago (and I’m way older than 20…) 

So, why *is* it important to vaccinate your pet (and yes, even your indoor cat)? 

First, some vaccines are required by law. So, there’s that.

Second, it helps to slow or stop the spread of illness to keep your pets properly vaccinated. Just as with human vaccines, we can significantly reduce the instance of certain illnesses if proper vaccinations become routine.

Third, if your pet, heaven forbid, ever seriously bites someone, they will want to know that you have kept your pet up to date on all their shots.

The most important reason though is that it provides the best chances for your pet to live a long, healthy and happy life. I know it’s what they’d want for me, so why not do the same for them? :)

Special Thanks​

A special thanks to Dr. Alisha Rogers for taking the time to visit with me and gather some resources to share. Sauerkraut loves you, and Cassy, and the whole staff at Swaim Serum! <3

“Hey Pops?”


“Yes, Sauerkraut?”


“Did you know it takes Pluto 248 years to go around the sun?”


“Huh. That’s fascinating. I didn’t know that, Kraut.”


“Yup, it’s true.  ….Hey Pops, did you know that the thirteen colonies actually started to rebel against the British taxation in 1765, even though the Boston Tea Party didn’t take place until 1773?”

“That’s… that’s interesting.”

“Yup.”

…

“Hey Pops, electrons orbit a nucleus so fast that they appear as a wave. That’s a fact.”

“Yes, Sauerkraut. Yes, it is.”

“And when you do the Hokey Pokey, you turn yourself around.”

“Sauerkraut, what is this all about?”​

“Well Pops, it’s already a week into the new year, so I decided I needed to settle on my New Year’s Revolutions.”

“What the..?!”  He looked down. “Oh, well hello there, kitty.” ​

I did my best to look frail, to look afraid.

“You poor thing.  You know, I just might have some fermented brassica oleracea in my office.” And I was in.

My objective was clear: get into Rising Spirit, see what they were doing, and get back out. My company wanted me to report back soon. We needed to know how far they had come with the nanites.

Once I was in, the kindly scientist gave me the promised food, and quickly forgot about me. He was a Busy and Important Man.  And just like that I was free to wander as I pleased, sauntering down the halls, darting into high security areas between the feet of security and medical staff.

I found my way to their records. And I spent the better part of three whole days reading. Reading, and eating leftover ham sandwiches. Well… reading, eating leftover ham sandwiches, and knocking random things off of the lab shelves. I couldn’t help it. It’s my nature.

On the third evening, I struck pay-dirt. The folder was labeled Project Bloodshot. As I read, I began snapping pictures of the charts and graphs and lab reports and research documents with my tiny Hello Kitty GoPro4Kidz camera. But while I was recording the crucial information my company needed, I was also absorbing what I was reading. It described a man… an innocent man, who Rising Spirit was making into a monster. Adding false memories into his brain, enhancing his body to become stronger and nearly indestructible. And I felt for him. He reminded me of someone… the chiseled jaw, the muscular torso, the bulging biceps. Yes, he reminded me of my own Pops.

And it was at that moment I knew I couldn’t let this go on. I would get that data to my company, but I would also save this man.

It took me two more days of slinking the halls, roaming the stairwells, before I found the medical suite where he lay. He was covered in scars, tubes and intravenous fluids and monitors hovering all around him.

I jumped up onto his chest. Stared at him. And when staring for a couple minutes didn’t wake him, I bopped him on the mouth a few times.

I led Bloodshot to the escape route I’d planned for myself, and we were Outside again. Out in the cool night air. Out, and ready to seek our revenge. Bloodshot, his revenge against Rising Spirit. Me, my revenge against the guy who left a ball of scotch tape on his desk that I started playing with and it got stuck to my paw and I couldn’t fling it off and then it got in my whiskers which I hate so I jumped three feet in the air and the tape ended up stuck to my tail where I couldn’t quite reach it.

As he walked away, Bloodshot stopped and turned back to me. “Thanks, kitty.  You’ve saved me, and I owe you my life. But man, you sure smell like sauerkraut.”​

And off he walked into the cool night…
​

…is whatever is on the other side of a closed door. And once you open that door, well, the cat suddenly just wants to stay where they are, right? In one room of our house, what’s on the other side of one particular door is ALWAYS of interest to our cats… It’s FOSTER CATS!

Sauerkraut has gotten some questions recently about the Foster Room, so I thought I’d take a moment to tell you its history. Originally, that room in our home was our older daughter’s bedroom. The How and the Why of the Foster Room is an interesting tale indeed.​

Before I begin though let me say, how we work with fosters in our home is just one way of doing it. It’s not the same way for everyone, but we’ve figured out it works best for us.

Prior to the Foster Room, when we brought in a new foster (or fosters), we spent some time socializing them with our cats. Our own cats were all formerly fosters, and it seemed like they somehow understood this and were tolerant of our new house guests. Brock instantly wanted to say a fond hello. Molly would act a little standoffish, then would warm up to them quickly, especially the little babies. Cal, well, we have to give him time to get used to company - he would run and hide for a bit, and maybe act a little hissy, but then he’d be alright with them eventually.

There are some challenges that come with having fosters in amongst our own pets. First, feeding them can be a challenge, as they all want in on each other’s food action, and if anyone is on medication we have to carefully assure it’s going to the right cat. Second, we have to very closely monitor everyone’s health, as most of the fosters we get come straight from the city’s Animal Welfare Division, and we seldom know their background. Third, behavior issues can crop up, so we also need to keep a close eye to assure everyone is being polite and safe.

A lot of the fosters we have are the little tykes. Although they can be the cutest by a mile, they can also be the MESSIEST! I mean really, kittens are so stinking adorable, but seriously.. they are also just stinky! :)  Occasionally we’d get a group of babies that would take some time to get used to using a litter box, and we’d find good, smelly poops behind a desk or underneath a recliner.​

When our older daughter graduated from high school and went off to college, it only took about 14 hours before Humom was putting a plan into action for changing her bedroom into the Foster Room. Initially, it was just a matter of moving things around to make it more accommodating for groups of fosters. Eventually though, the foster room got fresh coats of paint, new decorations, a dorm fridge for medicines, cabinets for supplies, and Humom even custom-built some furniture herself that would help make the fosters feel right at home.*

The Foster Room gives our guests a place which is enriching to cats, provides safety, gives them privacy (the Foster Cam initially was just so we could keep tabs on our fosters without having to bother them so frequently), and allows them the space and security to get through their quarantine period, or for the little ones, where they can grow until they’re big enough for their spay/neuter surgeries and eventual adoption.​

It also provides some level of security and comfort for our own pets. For example, we had one group of fosters that contracted ringworm. It was a constant battle for Humom to treat the fosters, give them their special baths and medicine, while assuring that our own cats and dogs (and people) didn’t also contract it. Ringworm is a pain in the patoot, as it doesn’t resolve itself quickly, so it was a long road we had to follow to make sure everyone was safe and comfortable.

And now when one group of fosters goes off for their forever homes, all it takes is a day of deep cleaning and a few loads of laundry before the Foster Room is ready for the next ones!​

I’m especially glad we have the foster room, not just because it’s a good, comfortable place for our guests and keeps our own pets safe, but also because it’s become Kitten Therapy for so many people through the Foster Cam. Sauerkraut regularly hears from friends who love cats but are allergic, so they watch their antics online. Or if someone just needs a dose of cute in the middle of their workday. There are very few times we have the Foster Cam down, so hopefully you can check out what’s going on in there, day or night! You're likely to see Humom in there, cleaning, or feeding.. or cleaning, feeding, and cleaning some more...

We all have them: days when you just need a little something to get by. Maybe you stepped in a mud puddle and your socks got wet. Maybe your cable TV went out and couldn’t see what kind of tie Matt Lauer was wearing today. Perhaps you lost that peel of chocolate that insists on sticking to the Reese’s Peanut Butter cup wrapper.​

Whatever your situation, sometimes we all have a day when a boost could really turn your day around… to turn that frown upside down.

Well, how about some kitten cuddle time? Yeah, you heard me right! 15 minutes of cuddles with a cute kitten… delivered RIGHT TO YOU. For REAL!

WHAT?!

It’s happening TODAY! Thursday, October 29, from 11 am to 3 pm!

For the third year in a row, Uber is making its drivers available in select cities to deliver kittens right to you. In its first year, Uber hosted UberKITTENS in three cities. Last year, it was expanded to seven cities. But this year, they’ve really stepped it up to now delivering in 50 cities across North America. That’s right FIFTY CITIES! That’s CATrageous!

Sauerkraut is partnering with Uber and the Central Oklahoma Humane Society (the organization that rescued Sauerkraut) to promote the event. In conjunction with the kitten delivery, first-time Uber users can also use the Promo Code SAUERKRAUT to get a $20 credit on their first ride!

WHY? you might ask.

Uber is partnering with rescue organizations across the country to raise awareness around pet adoption, and to give back to local shelters. And most of the kittens being delivered are adoptable! The Uber driver will arrive with a representative from the shelter, and you can work with them to see if your kitten is available to join your family.

In its first year, UberKITTENS adopted out six kittens; last year, that number rose to 21. And who knows how many might get adopted this year?!

And even if you aren’t looking for a kitten to adopt, hey, I can personally tell you there are few things which can set a day straight quicker than a kitten nuzzling your neck or nibbling your earlobe!

HOW DO I GET SOME OF THAT ACTION?!

You can check on Uber’s website to see if UberKITTENS is available in your city. Hoping to cuddle a flame-point in Fargo? You’ve got it. Craving a tabby in Tucson? You’re on.

If they’re in your home town, use the Uber App to request your kitten delivery between 11 am and 3 pm.  For just a $30 “snuggle fee” you get 15 minutes of playtime. The best part? With that, Uber then turns right around and supports the rescue organization!

And remember, even if UberKITTENS isn’t available where you are, if you’re a new Uber user, you can use the Promo code SAUERKRAUT for a free first ride up to $20! AND Uber will donate $5 of that to Sauerkraut’s alma mater, Central Oklahoma Humane Society, no matter where you live!

So help out shelter cats, help out the rescue organizations in these fifty cities, and help *yourself* to a little stress relief!

One of the things that makes our little Sauerkraut unique, as I'm sure you've noticed, is that she wears clothes. Hopefully it’s one of the things that you find charming about her!

But it’s not unusual for us to get comments or questions about Sauerkraut’s clothing. It’s true that many cats do not like to wear clothing. I’m sure you’ve seen videos of a cat that someone has dressed up, and the cat either freezes and tips over as if they’ve turned to stone, or they race around trying to shake off the outfit as if it’s made of cat nip and firecrackers.

Some cats are cool with clothing, and for those cats I think it can be really cute to see them in a Halloween getup or dressed to the nines for the Oscars. As long as the cat is cool with it, and their owners have a good relationship with their cat, then all the better!​

But for Sauerkraut, we keep her in clothing for a reason. 

Then one morning, we found that Sauerkraut had a wound, above her crest and below her neck. We looked closely but didn’t see anything immediately amiss. We speculated she’d gotten into a scuffle with someone else.  We separated her from the other cats so it wouldn’t happen again, but even sleeping in the bedroom with us, her wound continued to grow.​

We took little Kraut immediately to the vet, where they tested her for mites or other possible skin conditions that would cause a wound like that. All the test results were negative.

Humom did a fair bit of research, and in discussions with Sauerkraut’s most excellent veterinary caregivers, the idea of Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome first came up. For those not familiar with it, Feline Hyperesthesia, also known as FHS or sometimes "Twitchy Cat Syndrome” is an abnormal sensitivity of the skin, and is most commonly caused by neurological disorder.  Sometimes the fur along her back will ripple, and she will suddenly start scratching or grooming herself incessantly.  The disorder will also display itself in sudden, unprovoked running or jerking, or twitching and thumping of her tail, as if she was startled. The injury to her neck, we deduced, was self-inflicted; she had scratched herself so obsessively that she has worn the fur away. ​

To keep her from getting at the wound so it could heal, the vet suggested we put a bandana or something around her neck. (The traditional Cone of Shame resulted in her refusal to eat or drink, or even move. Keep in mind that at this point, she only weighed a little over 2 pounds.)

We couldn’t find a bandana that small, but we had a hooded harness we’d been using with her when we would bring her to her vet appointments. We put it on her backward, so the hood hung down in front and kept her from being able to get at the healing scar.​

What happened next was, well, almost a miracle. While she had on her little outfit, she stopped all of her abnormal behavior. No twitching, no scratching or over-grooming at all. The scar healed, and as long as we kept her in an outfit, she did no harm to herself.  We were pleasantly surprised, and absolutely delighted. And we knew it was solving the problem when a couple months later, Sauerkraut got out of her outfit overnight, and in that short time had another episode in which she scratched her neck raw again. 

And it’s also taken a lot of trial and error. She doesn’t like sleeves. She doesn’t really like hats or hoods. She isn’t crazy about velcro. She loves the soft and thick fabrics. She sometimes enjoys supervised “nakey time” where she runs around without her clothes, until she starts to get twitchy.

If you notice any kind of difficulty with your pet, or your foster, take the time to get to know your cat, their preferences, and find the treatment that yields the best results. And as always, it’s important to do this in partnership with your veterinarian.​

Sauerkraut is doing well with clothes. She’s happy, healthy, and as adorably scowly as ever. Not to mention, she’s a fashion diva!  :)

[As before, to be imagined in the voice of Keith Morrison from Dateline]​

She is known by many as the sour-faced and tender-hearted cat of internet fame. But that’s not how this feisty feline got her start.

Oh, no indeed. Her beginnings are far more rooted in a darker life. For many young people in America today, the thought of growing up in the rough and tumble world of inner city gangs and street fights might strike fear into their hearts. But for Sauerkraut, she accepted that way of life. Not only did she accept it, but from many accounts, she embraced it, even sought it out.

As we’ve heard in Parts 1 and 2 of this exposé, Sauerkraut grew up in a home of comfortable yet modest means. While they never lived a lavish lifestyle, they had all the things a young kitten would need. Food in the bowl, fresh litter in the cat box, and plenty of time on the catio. She was the last cat to be adopted by her Pops and Humom, about two years after her more infamous siblings - Brock, Molly, and Cal - had been made a permanent part of their family.

Sauerkraut came to her foster family at just a few weeks old. The story of her early months is familiar to many: health problems including failure to thrive meant she needed special attention. She was later diagnosed with a heart murmur, and at that time, her foster parents decided to adopt the wee lass. Her older siblings took her in immediately, and the bond especially between Brock and Sauerkraut became a strong one. 

Surely, her early influences were somewhat colored by Brock’s misadventures. And Sauerkraut began to act out. Her parents found wounds on the young kitten, and thinking at first they were from her siblings, they isolated her for her protection. But the injuries continued, and they discovered the source of her scars were from Sauerkraut herself. 

After consulting with counselors, doctors, and peer groups, Sauerkraut was diagnosed with Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome. And while it helped in her care to know her condition, it didn’t help the youth among her friends. She was small. She had to wear clothes for her FHS. And being adopted, well.. that’s always a point where other kittens her age might begin to pick on her.

The gentle teasing from her friends didn’t seem to bother young Sauerkraut. But what was happening inside… it was feeding her darker thoughts, hardening her heart.​

She saw how successful a cat could be following a life of wrongdoing - and lets face it, it’s not just her older brother that showed her this, but it’s all over the television today. 

​Before long, she was not just running with the wrong clowder, but this young cat, she was leading the gang.

If there was trouble to be found, well Sauerkraut had a nose for finding things like that. She fed on the excitement of running in the streets, getting wrapped up in clashes with the police, living life on the razor’s edge.​

Her first stint in jail was after a small run-in with the local law. She was out after curfew, and was discovered by a local policeman in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex. “She was vandalizing the residents’ cars,” the officer told this reporter, “with some stolen produce. And I’m too wise a law man to fall for the banana in the tailpipe.”

Perhaps a day or two in jail would cure her of her misadventures, but she learned from others while in the slammer. It was fuel for the fire in her soul.

“She went on like that for months,” her Humom related in one of Sauerkraut’s trials. “But she is a good cat. She only LOOKS sour!”

Sauerkraut found herself locked in the state penitentiary for a period of time. And it was here that she began to turn her life around. In an interview for Scared Straight: Kittens Behind Walls, she told a Discovery ID producer, “My sister Molly visited me here one day. It had been weeks since I’d seen anyone from my family. And she told me I had a kernel inside me of goodness, a core of decency. And that kernel was called ‘hope.’​

“And I realized it was true.” She paused to wipe at her misty, crystal-blue eyes. “I had so much to look forward to… so much I could teach kittens about how to avoid the kind of life I’d led.”

After volunteering for various prevention programs across the state, the judge released her early for good behavior. She has returned to her home, back among her parents and siblings now. She still volunteers for those prevention programs, returning to the jails and the prisons as often as her busy schedule allows. She also has begin to tour the country, to raise awareness about special needs fostering and adoptions. ​

For this young cat, she still has so much to offer. She has so many tales to tell. And you’ll have to forgive her if some of that hard life comes out from time to time, for in her words, “Well, the Thug Life.. I did love it. But I was glad to leave it, and I’ll never go back.”

A NOTE FROM POPS:

It’s been a lot of fun to write this “exposé” and in case anyone wasn’t already aware, it was written as satire, and any reference to people both living or dead was solely for comedic effect. However, there was a bit of me that was taking this seriously: there are a lot of cats out there that do lead hard lives. Too many animals - both cats and dogs - are living in the streets. And there’s a lot we can do to help. While the intentions of “armchair advocates” are good, that isn’t nearly enough. ​

Please consider volunteering at your local animal welfare organization or shelter. We can all have some part to play in this effort, whether it’s in Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs, donating money or time to support shelters and animal welfare groups, fostering, adopting, or even cleaning animal cages or walking some dogs.. there’s something each and every one of us can do. Consider even sharing this blog so others can hear this message. Thank you for your efforts!!

[As before, to be imagined in the voice of Keith Morrison from Dateline]

It’s a Cinderella-kind of story. But not really. There was no evil step mother. No spoiled and entitled step sisters. But there certainly was one very strong, very determined cat who took it upon herself to care for her household.

But that care and determination, well… they come at a cost, don’t they?

Molly was one of four siblings when she came to her foster family as a tiny lass. Perhaps it was the early passing of one of her brothers that made her become the cat she was to be. She took it upon herself to become the disciplinarian, with a *bop* to the head of her brothers when they got out of line. Or when she began to manage the cleanings of her siblings, keeping them well groomed, even if it meant an upset stomach and some extra hairballs for her later on. ​

Why, from an early age she even took on care of the family dogs. No, not even the traditional boundaries of species was going to keep her from caring for those around her. It was just in her nature, a part of her very fiber of being.

And while her family gained its fame and infamy in the media, she also found herself thrust into that spotlight. The guardianship she assigned herself for her feline family, the protection she gave, the discipline she dolled out with a steady paw… yes, they earned her a reputation even outside of her home.​

She was first noticed by Martha Stewart. While Molly’s brother Brock was in the court system under suspicion of wrongdoing, a chance encounter brought “Brockstar” into contact with Ms. Stewart while she was undergoing her own infamous legal troubles. He confided in her that it was his sister, the demure and publicly quiet Molly, that kept the family in line. And when Martha saw what Molly came into court wearing on one cold and windy day, she was struck by the poise - and the jaunty, feathered, self-made chapeau - that made her decide this was one cat that needed her own spotlight.

Molly was soon on the covers of Martha’s magazine, appearing on morning television shows, and even a Fourth of July special on HGTV. She was a natural in the kitchen, in the craft room, and now in the boardroom as she began to see an empire build up around her. And yet, while she had assistants, producers, tailors and designers flocking around her, Molly maintained the same serious, maternalistic demeanor at home. She still cared for the other cats, the dogs, her adoptive parents.

After a while, well, we know how the story goes. It became too much for her. The long hours, the television appearances, flying to Europe to sample fabrics and Morocco to taste custom-ground spices… it was more than one cat could bear alone.​

To comfort herself, Molly turned to her own vices. She stopped caring for the dogs and instead took to… well, let’s just say the time she was spending with them was beginning to raise some eyebrows.

Unlike the Cinderella whose story she seemed to be following, there was no Fairy Godmother, no chariot of mice to cart her away from her hard and demanding existence. “I found her one morning, unconscious from exhaustion,” her Humom told this reporter. “We knew she’d gone too far - taken on too much for her to bear alone.”

At first she went to a local, out of the way rehab center, but they weren’t prepared to deal with helping her meet the demands of her life. The Betty Ford Clinic finally was able to help her deal with her plight. The Cat Wing of the Ford Clinic was her home for several months.​

And when she emerged… she was a cat reborn. She had decided to shed the shackles of celebrity, to return to her humble home. That same home that had once been such a burden on her, had once been the place that demanded so much, well now it felt like slipping on that old comfortable set of shoes.

Molly now lives back with her family - her adoptive parents, her famous and infamous siblings, and even the dogs. She has given up the fame, the fickle fortunes of the limelight. These days, Molly - once the media darling of runways and craft shows - can be found lounging on the catio, soaking in the sunlight of a warm Oklahoma afternoon. 

She still keeps one eye on the television though, watching for her old mentor and confidant Martha, and thinking… someday. Maybe someday…​