😻🐱🐈🐾Tale of 3 Tails: Chapter 24 - A Whole Chapter Dedicated to Squeek!! 😻🐱🐈🐾

I was blessed with a rare opportunity to snap a whole bunch of absolutely gorgeous pictures of Princess Squeek! The spotlight is always stolen by Lexi or Mittens, so I decided to make this post all about her!

Squeek is our oldest girl, probably heading for about 8 years old now. I took my mom to the SPCA to adopt her and her brother, Bubbles, (who unfortunately passed away from cat leukemia during 2020 along with my other male baby, Levi). Thank goodness both Lexi, who was still a kitten then, and Squeek tested negative for Cat leukemia and have both been living healthy and happy lives!

The sad thing about cat leukemia is that it's hard to prevent and there's no cure. Even if they're tested as kittens it can be missed and the vaccination is only about 65% effective. They can also carry it for YEARS before they show any signs. Levi was 9 when he just suddenly, like overnight, got really sick and developed a cancerous growth in his throat we waited about two months before making the very hard decision to take him to the vet to assist him in his crossing of the rainbow bridge. Bubbles started showing symptoms straight after, but his demise was far quicker. He went from being a healthy happy 4 year old cat to full organ failure in 4 days.

We only adopt rescue cats, and that comes with a risk. We also have committed our hearts to allowing our kitties to roam at will in the outside world. The joy they get from climbing trees and chasing critters and making friends is something I refuse to deny them. As much as I'd love to wrap them in bubble wrap, I don't personally believe it's right. Look, some cats are really suited to the inside life, and it really helps if that's how they were raised from the start, but once a cat has been an outside cat, you can't take that away from them.

Squeek, although grumpy about it at 1st, adopted Lexi and taught her to galivant, jump walls, climb trees, hunt critters and birds (and even steal and murder people's budgies - the most awful way to meet your neighbours 🤦‍♀️). She took Lexi under her "wing" as her own kitten and they've developed a lifelong bond. I left Lexi behind with my mom when I moved in with @zakludick, but when my mom moved to the UK, we took both Lexi and Squeek to live with us in our new home.

Squeek always used to absolutely hate people and would only ever let my mother touch her. Since moving in here, she's really had her world turned upside down by two kittens and a hoard of children, and the result is that, even though she's still a bit more shy than the others, she's definitely come out of her shell and is far more affectionate and demanding of cuddles (still very much on her terms though and mostly from @aimeludick and I).

So, here you have them, a rare model photoshoot of Squeek in all her grooming glory. "Beans," "noseys" and all the fluff!

We love you girl!