Isabella loves Francesca – the momma kitty. Up until the point that Francesca arrived, Isabella (the black lab) had a charmed life as the baby. Suddenly a new ‘baby’ came and HAD BABIES – WOW. That can really be a buzz killer.
There was some definite acting out….in the form of peeing. It was definitely the middle child syndrome. Who am I know in this new configuration? Who will I be?
No matter how much I would console Isabella on the one hand, there is another part of her that I needed to buck up. I have kittens now to tend to. I have the horses, dog walks, jumping ropes, the demands of clients, a 90 year old father, not to mention I have started an Animal Communication University for crying out loud. I can’t go back to putting you on a leash and having you shadow me I thought to myself. I counsel clients daily on such challenges – so I did what I would have advised. Put her on the leash and gave her a job.
In fact, now she acts as if I still have the leash on and is by my side as if to prove she’s gotten over it. Also, at 7 weeks when this photo was taken, she went up and took care of the exhausted momma cat. Her job is Auntie Belly.
Isabella is a great aunt. She’s not quite as obsessed as Olivia. Olivia has become the kitten whisperer and has taken that on as her career. (It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure.) Olivia didn’t have time to be jealous. This also stems from the first year of her life, Alexandria (my beloved cat) ignored her to the point of distraction. So Olivia just watches cats in hopes that one of them will pay attention to her. (Now she has doting kittens).
Isabella as an aunt is a little removed, tolerant and loving on her terms. She’s not acting out anymore. Kittens fall asleep on her. It’s actually quite amazing how well everyone gets along and watches out for each other.
In fact, there is quite a cute video on www.youtube.com/joanranquet. I will post here also. It’s Isabella and Queen Latifah.
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