Meeko

I have a well-documented weakness for Calicos, particularly longhaired, white with bright orange spot calicos. Over the years, my searches for this dream kitten resulted in us adopting a variety of calicos. Mochi, who met half the criteria with her chimera face (2015), Musubi who met the criteria according to her online photo due to a clerical mistake by the rescue agency but was really a short haired dilute calico (2016), Kairi & Roxas who are both actually tabbies we fell in love with when we went to meet 2 calicos that ignored us completely (2017), and Katsu Kurry who has gorgeous calico colors on short fur (2018). At this point my husband informed me we couldn't adopt more kittens unless we found my DREAM kitten. I began fostering and now had a network of friends with more knowledge of local rescues who advertise on Facebook instead of petfinder. In 2020, one of my foster friends sent me a bio for "Mink", now Pigwidgeon.

I do data entry for my rescue, putting every new litter of kittens into our adoption system. I always get a thrill to hear about new calicos in the rescue, even though my house is very full. I still love to beg for photos and updates of the calicos in our foster group page, and most fosters oblige me. When I volunteer at wellness clinic, I love to hold or pet the calicos that pass through. I often sit at the back entering vaccine and treatment info in while other volunteers give shots and do health checks, but they'll call me over when they have a cute calico. During our last clinic, after entering in some data, I stood up and turned around-probably to go to the restroom. but all coherent thoughts flew out of my brain when I saw another foster standing there, holding Meeko. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you I swooned. My legs crumpled and I was ON THE FLOOR, looking up at her. Instant love.

By sheer coincidence, this foster had been planning on a short break while her husband was out of the town. She had dropped off her foster litter at Petsmart just that morning- but a few days before she rescued Meeko from a Good Samaritan that found her. We often pair single kittens with other singles or litters so they can get socialized. The foster also worked during the day and the husband was the one who had the most time to care for the kittens. She offered to let me take Meeko home with my litter. The rescue approved the transfer and giggled at my delight. She was still in quarantine, so I spent most of my time with her in the kitten room. She got over her initial wariness rather quickly and loved to cuddle with me.

It was obvious she was aware there was life outside her room, and she resented being isolated from it. When I woke up in the morning, I could always hear her yowling from her kennel, alone in the kitten room. She got a little sick and had to be isolated a little longer than usual until she recovered. I spent as much time as I could with her, but she insisted it was NEVER enough every time she heard me moving outside the kitten room or when I approached her kennel. Finally the day came that she could be let out of quarantine to meet the others.

This bold little kitten was true to her word- she was ready to mingle. She showed no fear or hesitation walking up to or past the other animals, even staring down the dogs. Scrapper threw a tiny hissy fit the first few days, which Meeko ignored completely. Now that she's got a huge fur family to love, she's exchanged her loud kitten yowls for tiny, pathetic cries for attention. If I'm sitting or standing in one spot, she's usually content. But if I move past her, she always mewls for attention and pets, often getting up to push her head into my hands. She joins in purr piles and learned to nurse on the puffy bed with the Junkpile.

Meeko is not afraid of people, but she often prefers to approach others vs being picked up. She's quite cuddly on her own terms and in her own time. But she often wiggles when picked up by newcomers. The exception was this lovely family, who were allowed to hold her and witness her fashion show!

I splattered my personal facebook page with copious helpings of Meeko, who attacted the attention of several friends, including the adopted parents of Kepler and Hubble of the Visions litter, now pampered Zoey & Bella. They came to visit and fell in love. Their interest and the fact that I know they will 1) treat her extremely well and 2) keep in touch helps my resolve to NOT foster fail Meeko as predicted by most everyone that knows me. Although a month younger than Baby Jetsam, she quickly caught up to him in weight and we're trying to get her fixed quickly so she can be adopted during Summer, when her new mom will be home.

Update 6/15/22
Baby Meeko is now seeking a forever home again! My friends realized it would be better for their current pets and Meeko to NOT adopt right now, as two of their current babies fight over mom's attention.

Meeko is an adorably playful kitten with a delightful kitten waddle. She loves to wrestle with the other kittens and HATES being alone. Really. She hates it.

She's bold and friendly on her own terms. She has never shown fear of my other fosters or pets and doesn't run from guests in my house. But she doesn't like to be picked up by strangers and rarely wants to be picked up by those she loves. Given time and space, she will come to YOU when she's ready. She'll more closely follow the 3*3*3 rule.

She doesn't like change much and will go on hunger strikes when too much changes at once. She did it when she first transferred from her previous foster to me, and it really worried me because it lasted for days. When she got out of quarantine and I let her explore the bedroom, she skipped her first meal then too. For the past week I have taken down all barriers and given her free access to the entire house- but it took her over 5 days to wander out of the bedroom. Now she'll follow me anywhere, but his morning I had to give most of the kittens 1T of food before their surgery. I had the audacity to try to feed her on the counter and she refused to eat. Once the rest of the kittens had gobbled up their food, I took her back to her familiar settings and she ate quite happily.

She gets more cuddly as each day passes. This morning she was quite demanding for affection- I've had her just under 3 weeks.