Sleepytime

This is Ray. She's approximately four years old. She and her sister Stevie came to me back in late 2003. I don't know exactly how old they are. See, originally, they were owned by people in Brooklyn who didn't feed them, so their growth was stunted, didn't care for them, so they've each got scars (Ray's a scarred ear and Stevie a broken tail), but worse of all, they were refused medical attention for a terrible respiratory infection, causing their inner eyelids to fuse shut, in both eyes for Stevie, but in one eye for Ray. Despite everything they went through, they are the sweetest cats I've ever met. They were named for Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, because they're both partially blind. I didn't name them. The dude at the cat place did; he didn't realize they were girls. They are both very skinny girls, even though they eat like queens. Oddly, Stevie's favorite food is stir-fried broccoli, while Ray will pretty much eat anything.



Ray is a very shy girl. She likes to hide behind the couch, and occasionally get her belly rubbed. Whenever she reveals herself to my BF and he scratches her, she looks at him with an expression of WTF? I can't believe you're touching me.




Recently, Ray developed a condition known as pyometra, where her uterus became infected. She didn't act very ill, but having worked in a vet's office previously, I knew that this condition, when left untreated, is nearly always fatal. I took her to the vet, where she had an ovariohysterectomy. Afterwards, she gained several pounds and became much more social, abandoning her hiding place behind her couch for the most part and joining us on the couch for cuddles.



I feel lucky to have this little girl.