After 16 1/2 wonderful and adventurous years, Kuki is retiring. I've had her since I was 16 years old (!) and she has traveled with me to UCLA, Brentwood, then Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, and finally here in CDM, where she has spent the last 2 1/2 years residing in her "cat apartment" in the garage. She went through thick and thin with me, always a loyal feline companion. Sadly, since getting married, redesigning our place (hence, buying new furniture and installing new carpet we didn't want her destroying), and being pregnant twice in the last 2 1/2 years, poor Kuki had been placed on the bottom of the totem pole so to speak. I felt like she was being neglected in the garage, and because of two babies, taking care of a pet had unfortunately become a chore for us. No time was better than now to find her another home..... with the boys still being too young to get attached to her and us beginning to plan for the next chapter of our family life...... I had hoped to find her a better home where she would get the attention and care she deserved but as we all know it is very hard to adopt older cats. Ironically, Kuki is in good health, and has more energy than previous years, but no such luck finding her a compatible home. So, after months of researching and asking around, my sister saw this A&E documentary about this awesome cat sanctuary/ retirement community of cats up in Parlier, Central California. It is the largest no-kill/ no-cage cat rescue & sanctuary comprised of almost 1000 cats. It sits on 12 acres of protected farm land near the Kings River in Central California and owned by a famous "cat lady" Lynea Lattanzio who converted her 4200 square foot house and land into a cat haven 10 years ago (if you were wondering she lives in a different house now on the property, while cats rule the bigger house, and a few other cat homes on the premises.)A 16+ year devoted cat owner, I loved the idea of giving Kuki a life on the farm, outside in protected nature as well as an indoor home, surrounded by other cats so she wouldn't feel lonely. It was an ideal situation, a costly one, but after convincing Brad, we both decided Kuki deserved to spend her last years as close to a "kitty paradise" versus being dumped in a shelter or euthanized :(
Taji saying goodbye to Kuki.....
Two weekends ago, I made the 4 hour trek up north in the wee hours of the morning, and arrived at the Cat House on the Kings with a nervous Kuki in tow:
We were greeted by hundreds of cats who roamed the farm....
Checking out the "big house" (the 4200 sq. foot home)..... these cats are definitely living the life! They even had a running furnace the cats snuggled next to, plenty of furniture, and rooms to run around in, and even a Koi pond in the foyer to play in.....
The senior cat house, where Kuki would meet her retirement buddies for the first time. This was a smaller home, but also had all the amenities as the big house (including a water fountain and access to a fenced orange tree lined backyard!)
Opening the door.... Kuki is set free into kitty paradise. (she wasn't too thrilled by the looks of it!)
This was when I was saying goodbye, as you can imagine, she was not a happy camper and stared me down with her sad eyes. It was a little heartbreaking, but I wished her well and have peace of mind that she is in good hands. The senior cat care-taker Linda told me she helps to assimilate the new cats with the other cats and would take extra special care of her (meaning she gets her own food dish and will have her own spot away from the cats until she gets more comfortable.) She also told me I could email her to get status updates on Kuki, as well as photos of what she is doing.
This is the photo she sent me of Kuki, one week at the Cat House on the Kings. She is slowly adapting. It will take some time, but she has so much more consistent care, attention, yummy food, and an exciting environment to frolick in compared to her life in the garage. After being an indoor cat for almost 15 years, a whole new world of exploration has opened up to Kuki and we wish a happy retirement! We love you Kukers! You will always have a special place in our hearts!
Two weekends ago, I made the 4 hour trek up north in the wee hours of the morning, and arrived at the Cat House on the Kings with a nervous Kuki in tow:
We were greeted by hundreds of cats who roamed the farm....
Checking out the "big house" (the 4200 sq. foot home)..... these cats are definitely living the life! They even had a running furnace the cats snuggled next to, plenty of furniture, and rooms to run around in, and even a Koi pond in the foyer to play in.....
The senior cat house, where Kuki would meet her retirement buddies for the first time. This was a smaller home, but also had all the amenities as the big house (including a water fountain and access to a fenced orange tree lined backyard!)
Opening the door.... Kuki is set free into kitty paradise. (she wasn't too thrilled by the looks of it!)
This was when I was saying goodbye, as you can imagine, she was not a happy camper and stared me down with her sad eyes. It was a little heartbreaking, but I wished her well and have peace of mind that she is in good hands. The senior cat care-taker Linda told me she helps to assimilate the new cats with the other cats and would take extra special care of her (meaning she gets her own food dish and will have her own spot away from the cats until she gets more comfortable.) She also told me I could email her to get status updates on Kuki, as well as photos of what she is doing.
This is the photo she sent me of Kuki, one week at the Cat House on the Kings. She is slowly adapting. It will take some time, but she has so much more consistent care, attention, yummy food, and an exciting environment to frolick in compared to her life in the garage. After being an indoor cat for almost 15 years, a whole new world of exploration has opened up to Kuki and we wish a happy retirement! We love you Kukers! You will always have a special place in our hearts!
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