Adopted June 20, 2000 - July 26, 2006

Nicknames: Xenanator, Xenabug, Xena: Warrior Cat

Xena had this personality unlike any cat I have ever seen, even Ebony. Each cat is special in their own way, but there was something about Xena that I can't quite explain. She understood me and what you did for her. She was almost human. She thought like a human, not a cat. I think she thought she was more then a cat. She still possessed that cat quality, but to me she was smarter then any cat I had ever met. She was more sophisticated and knew she was special. She was vain only when she deemed it was cute.

She had these characteristics that I simply adored such as she loved water, she loved to box us with her paws, she was an excellent alarm clock, she showed affection by putting her paw on your hand while you slept, she was the most photogenic cat I have ever seen, she was the perfect lap cat, and she loved to talk to you.

It all started in June of 2000. After 15 years of only having one cat, Ebony, I decided it was time to adopt another one. I had always wanted more then one cat and after my husband and I were married, it seemed like the right time. I had great concern of how Ebony would do, but I thought with time and patience she would adjust fine.

In late June, my husband and I went to the Kent County Humane Society with the intention of adopting another cat and giving it a loving home. I was a bit overwhelmed with the abundance of cats they had. We had initially discussed adopting a gray kitty as my husband said he loved their colors. We went through the interview process and looked at kitties. There was one cat that stuck out to me and that was this red tabby cat. Yet we found another cat who was about a year old and was gray. We told them we would like to adopt her. However, we lived in an apartment and the Humane Society was very strict with their guidelines about adopting out their animals. They called the Apartment complex to see what their rules were for having animals. They did allow cats but required that they must be front declawed. The Humane Society was not keen on declawing an animal, but told us that they couldn't be older then 6 months if we were going to do it. I had called them to see how the adoption process was going and when I could pick up my new cat. Much to my disappointment they told me I couldn't have her as we couldn't have her declawed. She was over a year or so old. This upset me greatly and I felt as if I was being treated like some sort of criminal when I only want to give a cat a good home. I didn't agree with their no declawing policy even though I deeply love animals and would never think of causing them any harm. She said I could come back though and pick out another cat. I knew exactly which cat I wanted if she was still available, the red tabby that I had initially seen whom was rubbing the cage door.

I went back the next day and went right to Xena (she didn't have a name at the time) and said I would like to see her. She was already front declawed and fixed. She was rubbing the cage wanting attention and knew just what to do to get out of that place. She had no history, but something about her appealed to me and I knew I wanted her. As I was finishing up some paper work the worker said she might be older then 2 years and asked if I still wanted her. They estimated she was about 2 because she was a stray. I told them it didn't matter if she was older, I wanted her. I had another older cat and thought the transition would be much easier for her if I adopted an older cat, not a kitten. It seems Xena somehow managed to get into their boiler room at the Humane Society and this is how she entered my life. In all, even though I was upset with how they treated me it ended up working out in the end because little did I know what a unique cat I was choosing to adopt and how much I would grow to love her. She would sink her claws deep into my heart and change my life forever.

I remember taking that Tuesday afternoon, June 20, 2000 off to pick up Xena. She was a bit scared at first in her new home, but adjusted well and was not shy to ask for attention. Ebony was a bit of a wreck at first since we were also moving shortly after we adopted Xena. But once, we moved into our new home they adjusted well. Ebony was a bit of a bully with her, but in time they both tolerated each other and got along fine.

I'll never forget Xena for her very unique qualities she possessed. She absolutely loved playing in water and because of that we had to purchase a heavier water bowl to prevent her from spilling it all over the place. I had never met a cat that loved playing in the water until Xena came along. Most cats hate water except for drinking, but not Xena. We learned early with her that if we left anything around, like a small twisty tie, toy balls, they would wind up in the water bowl. It was inevitable.

I have many memories of watching Xena carry the toy cat balls in her mouth over to the water bowl. She loved to run around and chase them. There were many times you would hear this meowing throughout the house and you knew it was Xena. She found a ball and was taking it to be drowned. I'll never forget coming home from work and there would be 1 to 2 balls in the water bowl. She loved to put them in there and drink. They say that cats will do that because they can't see the water line and don't want to get their face wet. I think that might have been true for Xena except she really didn't care if she got her face wet to a degree. But I noticed once she had the ball in there, she would bat at it or put her paw into touch the water to see how full it was before getting a drink.

I wish I had known if Xena ever had a litter of kittens, because we often thought she had this motherly instinct that just made me think she might have been a Momma cat at one time. I used hair scruncies all the time and would often leave them out. Xena had a fascination with these things. If she found one she would meow very loudly for a few minutes and then carry it in to be deposited in the water bowl. Many poor scruncies drowned due to Xena. They didn't stand a chance. I can't even tell you how many I had to take out of the water bowl or sink. She acted sometimes as if they were a kitten, carrying them with her teeth every so gently, yet drowning them in the water. We often joked that she acted like she was tending to a kitten, however, we wouldn't want to see her dropping a kitten off in the water bowl.

I say she was obsessed with water not only because she played with the water in her water bowl, but because she sat on the bathroom counter and begged for it. She spent a great deal of time on our two bathroom counters. If she seen you, she asked so nicely to fill the sink up with water for her. There would be times when we were watching TV and there would be poor Xena sitting in the bathroom meowing, hoping someone would answer her call to fill the bathroom sink up. She often put her paws in it and splattered water all over the counter top. She often got on our bed and scanned the entire room for a scruncie that she could abduct to drown. I often left them on my dresser and headboard. You could bet if you left one out it would be drowned within no time. Many times I would place a scruncie on the bathroom counter, but hide it in a towel. Xena knew it was there and looked and looked for it until she found it. It could have been on the towel bar, under a piece of clothing or sitting on a glass, it didn't matter. Xena found it and that was our game. She loved looking for it and often did even when there wasn't one around. She often got in the way though and somehow wound up with toothpaste on her or a bit of cream. She didn't care if you were brushing her teeth, often times you had to work around her. She was always first in the bathroom and demanded that she be waited on first.

She often carried anything small she found around the house to the water bowl, even if it was a ball of plastic, a milk ring, it didn't matter. If it was small enough for putting in the water bowl she usually stole it.

Even if we didn't fill the sink up with water I would leave the faucet on with a very slow stream for her to drink. There she would be with the water flowing straight down on her head and shooting off into the sink. She loved to drink this way and sometimes would completely get in the sink in order to do this.

Something else that we found to be quite amusing is she loved to drink out of our glasses. Now sometimes this was funny and sometimes it wasn't. Often I would forget and leave my glass of water sitting out on the table. If Xena could get her head in there to drink the water, she usually helped herself. I know I had forgotten one night and left a glass of water on my night stand. During the middle of the night she woke us up to the sound of her drinking the water and then knocking the glass all over.

She loved playing ball and would chase around the toy cat balls for a quite a while. I often threw them for her and sat at the end of the room just throwing one after another. Even if they weren't sitting out, she often helped herself to the toys in the basket and entertained herself.

You would often see Xena licking the patio door glass, a window, or the mirror in the bathroom just like it was an ice cream cone. She often did this if there was condensation on the glass or window, she loved to lick the water off. We often joked because when she did this in the bathroom mirror it looked as if she was pretty vein licking her reflection in the mirror!

Xena had a playful side to her and we often called her "Xena Warrior Cat" because of it. She had this ability to box you as if she was in a boxing match. She could lay on her back and box you with her two front paws, often taking breaks and using only one paw at a time. She was very strong and loved to get in a heated boxing match with you. It was the most entertaining thing she did and even my friends and family said how good she was at it and they couldn't believe how strong she was for a cat. If she had enough she would get up and hop off though.

She often slept with her paw covering her face, which I thought was the cutest thing. As if to keep the light out, but I haven't seen many cats do that. She never slept in a silly pose, because that just wasn't Xena. She was always cute and knew it.

Her boxing talent often came in handy when she had to give Ebony a good whacking if she was picking on her. Often Ebony would leave her alone, but in her younger years, Ebony would pick a fight with her. She was no match for The Boxer Cat: Xena. Xena was undefeated and Ebony usually ran away in fear of her great boxing talent. Xena was never afraid to stand up to Ebony and show her who was boss. Xena knew how important she was in this home and wouldn't let a little black cat make her run and hide. She deserved the utmost attention and never caved in when it came to Ebony. She wasn't mean to a degree, she just stood up for herself. She never started a fight to my knowledge and would often just casually and slowly walk by as to prevent an outbreak. But she was ready with her boxing paws if need be.

Her and Ebony got along well and tolerated each other. In some shape or form they were companions and often sunbathed or slept near each other. Xena put Ebony into her place early and let her know that she wasn't going to be bullied around, it was her home too.

In Xena's prime years she substituted as a cat alarm clock. You see she demanded water anytime she wanted and knew just how to get it. If you were about to take a shower, she knew it. It didn't matter where she was. She often joined you in the bathroom or beat you too it and waited for you to supply her with a sink full with fresh water. It didn't matter what time it was that you showered, she was there. Now, if you weren't up in the morning in time, no problem, Xena knew exactly how to get her water. I often remember waking up and looking in the bathroom. There was Xena sitting there for who knows how long and often meowing for you to wait on her. If it was late in the morning and you were trying to sleep in, Xena demanded you give her water, no exceptions. We woke up with her in there meowing intermittently. If that didn't work, she came into bed and meowed until someone noticed her. And if you still ignored her, she would get on top of you and meow and often pawing you for attention. I remember sometimes I would get up, fill the sink up and go back to bed. Yet, it was one of the cutest and most unique things she did. Usually 7am was her time. If you weren't up she was in there to let you know it. She knew it was about our normal wake up time during the week, so why shouldn't we get up to wait on her on the weekends too.

I'll never forget a time when I was asleep and there was this faint touch on my back. I got after David and told him to stop as I was sleeping. Only, it wasn't David, here was Xena behind me in bed tapping me with her paw on my back to get my attention.

She became my bed partner in a short time and often slept next to me below Ebony when Ebony was around. After Ebony passed away, she promoted herself and slept right next to my pillow. I often woke up to her in my face meowing demanding attention.

She showed that she loved you by placing her paw on your hand as she lay next to you. I remember many times waking up and there was Xena next to me with her paw gently resting on my hand. She did this as well when she sat on my lap. To me this meant she was telling us she loved us. I have never seen a cat do that before. Many will sit with their paw out, but Xena's paw resting on my hand showed me she really appreciated us and knew she had a good home. She made the extra effort to put her paw on my hand, not just next to me, this was a great sign of affection in my book.

She was known to steal my computer chair. Even if I was up for seconds it was gone. She often came in when I was working on the computer and meowed constantly for me to give up my chair. I usually did. Here the cat set in my comfortable computer chair and I was stuck with a folding chair. It didn't matter, Xena was worth it. She often provided me company in the computer room while I worked on the website. Even sometimes I was concentrating so heavily she came in and meowed at me. One time I nearly jumped out of the chair!

She wasn't the most social with strangers, but warmed up to my parents and friends usually. She knew the right people to ask for attention, but often hid if company was over.

She became quite the lap cat especially after Ebony passed away and when we had our baby. She demanded attention even though we were giving more of it to Kathryn. Yet she often laid on my lap when I watched TV and loved to take naps on me. I never pictured her as a lap cat when I first adopted her as she hated to be picked up, but changed throughout the years.

I always adored Xena's markings and thought the two little spots on each side of her nose added to her personality. She often laid around with one paw out, a sophisticated look and looked like she knew she was important. I found these little hand carved cat statues that bore a striking resemblance to her. I even posed them around her for pictures and she was the best sport about it.

It all started in September 2002 when she became very ill and wound up spending the night at the vets due to she was dehydrated and had a high temperature. The vet said many things could be possible, but in the end it was due to a nasty urinary tract infection. She recovered well and was taken back in a couple weeks later to see if the infection had cleared. It was at that time that the Doctor noticed something in her test results and recommended doing an x-ray to check her kidneys. Stones were present in both kidneys and therefore inoperable. This was upsetting news, but the vet assured me that cats can live a long life with kidney stones. The most important thing is placing them on a diet to help maintain the size of the stones and allow her kidney's to function normally. The vet also recommended we purchase a water fountain bowl for her as the more she drank water, the longer it would prolong her life. We did and Xena loved it! She often played in the bowl, getting water all over the floor and even drowned many objects in there.

She visited the vet frequently, at least every 3 months for a while and had to be put on antibiotics numerous times because of the reoccurring Urinary Tract Infections. This was due to the kidney stones. If I had a $1.00 for every pill I shoved down her throat I could have retired. She hated being pilled with a passion and we tried everything from pills to liquids, you name it! We stuck with pills for 2 years on and off as she needed them. She often foamed at the mouth and drooled everywhere because of the bitter taste of the pills. She fought hard, but I won in the end, minus cat drool all over myself and my husband. I became very talented at pilling a cat. She really did well though and it could have been a lot worse.

In January 2005, she developed another nasty Urinary Tract Infection. It is very hard to tell with cats when they are sick. I hadn't realized how ill she was. She had to spent 2 nights at the hospital and recovered well. The doctor recommended keeping her on antibiotics daily to hopefully prevent any infections. This would help prevent any infections and in turn her having to spend the night at the vets. They recommended giving her daily injections of baytril. And I also had to give her fluids until she was better. She was severely dehydrated when we brought her in. The thought of giving her shots didn't thrill me in the least and I debated how I would do it. To put it simply, I hated the idea of it, but told myself I should give it a try. It was with great hesitation I took on the task. It was a bit rough at first, but it became very easy over time and I actually didn't mind doing it. It also helped that Xena was so good about getting the shots. Sometimes she would jump and cause me to drop the needle or poke myself or my husband (he held her while I gave her shot to her). Sometimes she bled and sometimes I couldn't get the needle in, especially after doing it for over a year, her skin toughened up and it made it increasingly harder to find a good spot. She also had to have a potassium pill daily too since her potassium bottomed out right after we bought her home and we ended up taking her back that next morning because of it. It didn't take long for it to become a part of our daily routine. Kathryn often helped out by sitting on the floor with us and thought it was rather funny shoving the pill down the cats mouth. My mother called me Nurse Heather and our main floor bathroom was Xena's Clinic. We stored her syringes, baytril, and pills in the cupboard. Many days I would get the injection ready for a few days out as to save some time in the morning or at lunches. It became a part of our daily routine after a few months and we didn't think much about it otherwise. Some days we would skip because we were out of town, but usually only once every other week or so. If it had been insulin though, that wouldn't have been possible.

Xena developed a bad habit of sitting on the table when we fed the baby. She often tried to steal food and was successful many times. I'll never forget David was so mad at her because she was either licking his food or Kathryn's. Xena figured that the prescription food we had her on was no delicacy, so why not try for some real food. We tried to keep her on the prescription canned food, but she hated it and I can't blame her. She often got canned cat food as a treat. We figured she deserved a treat and might as well be happy, who knew how long she had.

The baytril became increasingly higher in price through the year and a half that we used it. I had to pick up refills of that and syringes monthly which sometimes totaled to be $100 a month. Yes, it was expensive and I know many people would not go to that effort for a cat, but she was so worth it. I wouldn't have given it a second thought. This is the way it was and she was doing well for a year and a half on it. It had been over a year and a half since we had to go to the vet for an infection so the baytril was doing the trick.

Xena was never very fond of Kathryn. She often slapped her if Kathryn got close or tried to pet her. Kathryn was just too hyper and too intimidating for her. It was funny though because every time Xena was in my lap, Kathryn wanted me to pick her up. I never seen a child jealous of a cat.

She was so good though when we adopted Socks. She adjusted just fine and actually Socks was being the bully and often jumped her without any reason, but only to be mean. We often got after her, but when Xena was feeling good she gave her many good whacks telling her to leave her alone. Socks eventually caught on and they tolerated each other well. Although, Xena didn't sleep with us much in the last year of her life, she would still make the trip to the bathroom for water in the morning or evenings. She spent a great deal of her time sleeping in the cat beds we purchased for her or on top of the living room couch. The odd thing is she never slept in the cat beds during the summer, as if it was too hot for her. You might call it pure coincidence, but every summer when the warm weather hit, she wouldn't touch the cat bed. I purchased cat nip beds for her which she loved.

We bought cat beds for both cats and Xena took to the cat bed very well. She loved to sleep in them during the winter, but not usually in the summer. We went through many beds with her, some even that had catnip inside of them, which she loved.

She loved Christmas time and always added to the decorations by placing herself underneath the Christmas Tree. She usually sat on top of the presents, but usually never bothered anything or messed with the bows. The Christmas Tree was a great place to hide from Ebony or Socks whom she shared her life with.

Xena deserved a much longer life, but her life was cut short due to kidney stones which caused damage to her kidneys resulting in kidney failure. She was one of the most high maintenance cats I have ever known and hopefully will ever have. But there isn't one time that I regret having to give her medicine and the dedication and money it took for us to extend her life. I wouldn't have changed a thing. If they would have recommended surgery, I would have done it. I would have done anything for this cat. She was like a child to me as was Ebony.

My sincere appreciation goes to our Vet whom was phenomenal in helping us do everything possible to prolong Xena's life. And to my husband whom without his help I wouldn't have been able to give her medicine daily. He wound up getting poked several times and an endless amount of cat drool on him. He cleaned the carpet when she got sick and she threw up a lot the last few months of her life.

We knew Xena appreciated everything we did for her and she was one of the best cats a person could ever own or know. She was always good about using the box and never once went in the house purposely. She is a cat that will be greatly missed and one I am glad I knew as she touched my life in more ways then one!

Last Update: 9/7/06