International Cat Day 2026
From my cats to yours — hope it’s a good one!
Through the years, I’ve had many many cat friends. Now that I’m back in Texas, I’ve got a whole new crew of cats. ALL of these cats were tiny little ones, outdoor homeless/feral kittens who didn’t have a home. I couldn’t leave them out there to fend for themselves. I’ve taken in a few.
From newest to oldest, let’s enjoy International Cat Day with some pictures and stories of my cats.
Little Jedidiah Jao Chai
More commonly known as Little Jedi (rhymes with Freddy).
This little guy unexpectedly showed up in the big expansive woods directly across from my front door. I couldn’t see him, but he cried and cried outside, through the dark of the night and into the next day.
It took me a few tries to find him as he was pretty hidden at first. He stayed in the same general area of the forest across from my front door, but he was highly skilled at hiding! Eventually, I called to him, using soft meows of my own. He stopped doing those loud echoey scream cries and started to listen to me. Soon, he softly meowed back to me. We meowed back and forth a few times. Cat-speak, lol. He calmed down a little, and his softer meows didn’t echo so much — they helped me get a more accurate sense of where he was.
I carefully walked around trees in the forest, looking and looking, until I could finally see his tiny little self, hiding under a fallen branch. He knew to hide under brush, and leaves. Smart little kitten. But very scared and definitely asking for help.
Oh my goodness, that tiny little guy did not need to be alone in the 100 Acre Woods. There are all kinds of dangers for an itty bitty kitten alone in the woods. Coyotes, foxes, wild pigs, and a whole lot more. Nope, I wasn’t going to just let him cry out there. He needed to come into a sheltered and safe home.
He was oh so scared, and very anxious out there by himself. No little baby wants to be alone in the woods, that’s for sure. No doubt he was hungry and thirsty too.
He really was pretty tiny when he first got here. As you can see, sitting next to big ol’ Jorgie, little Jedi boy is a lot smaller.
The last thing I needed was another little kitten, but see his gorgeous face?
Jedidiah is fitting in very nicely with the other cats. He’s learned to make himself quite at home. He’s a brave little guy, and extra playful.
Little Baby JJ
Except now, he’s not the baby anymore, so, he’s just JJ. “J-Man” when he’s feeling big and tough.
JJ was another rescue kitten. A very desperate rescue kitten.
JJ was determined to get help, and he showed up in a loud panic during the heavy winds and rains of Hurricane Beryl, back in July 2024. He took shelter under my parked car, and just screamed and screamed with weird haunting sounds until he was heard over top the noisy, windy storm.
Baby JJ was in terrible trouble. He arrived with a broken leg, a compound fracture, a busted ripped up mouth, broken and lost teeth, fully flea covered, skin issues and hair loss from the excessive bug bites, starving, malnourished, and extremely small. Oh dear, poor little guy!
I have no idea how this little injured kitten made it to my yard. However he got to my house, I felt honored to help this poor little kitten.
He looked to be the size of a 5-week old kitten, but we found out later, when his mouth healed and his adult teeth came in, that he was actually almost 4 months old at the time of his arrival. He was just so small due to lack of food and nutrition.
It turned out that JJ and Jorgie were the same age! Potentially, little JJ was even a week or two older than Jorgie, but he was so much smaller. With proper nutrition and healthy snacks, little JJ has grown to be a full size cat.
What about his health? How did little JJ recover?
The good news is that JJ has recovered in many ways.
His lip healed, and even though he has a little disfigurement, he’s still very handsome.
His adult teeth all grew in correctly, thank goodness.
His broken leg was already partially fused when he showed up, so after several x-rays and numerous veterinary appointments, with a lot of extra care, his leg has healed. He has a permanent bent hockey stick left leg, and uses it like that. He doesn’t seem to be in much pain, and runs and plays and has the best time.
Jorgio Orangio Mikikiki III
Jorgie is one of the DDCF kittens(opens in new tab) that was found and rescued at one of our SGI (small group) events. An outdoor momma cat had her seven kittens while we were together that week, and our DDCF forum community ended up adopting the whole group, momma and all.
Nowadays, those DDCF kittens have all grown up and are having happy lives. It’s good to still see pictures of the kitten and hear their stories as they’ve grown up. It’s fun to see the similarities and differences between them!
JJ and Jorgi have spent most of their lives together. You can image all the trouble they’ve gotten in, playing together.
And, I’m happy to say, they love to dance.!
I think they’re looking pretty good here, right?!
Okay, okay, just kidding. That’s not Jorgie and JJ but it sure looks like it could be!
JAZZY
My original pretty little cat, was found by JoeJoe. Jazzy was a teeny tiny kitten, barely 3 weeks old, if that, crying and abandoned in a deep dark hollow trunk of a tree.(opens in new tab)
Oh, little Miss Jazzy,
Jazzy, Jazzy, the oldest cat who is all of 3 years old right now, is my only girl. And you know it — she runs the roost like she knows best. At the same time, she’s very protective of her group of boys, and she defends them, no matter what.
She has adopted each of the boys — maybe with a few growls at first — but she has taken them all in, under her wing, and she cares for them all.
If only people could learn to get along together as well as these cats do!
~ ~ ~ ~
Jazzy taking a turn in Pinky’s fluffy bed.
Oh, to be so relaxed and comfortable as Jazzy girl…
First, Jazzy built a friendship with Jorgie.
And….. Jazzy tending gently to little JJ:
The tuxedo cats, aka, my Tuxies. A matching set? Sorta.
What do your cats mean to you?
You probably see me writing and talking more about my dogs, because those kelpies are most certainly important to me. And the dogs get to go to the Retreats and the SGI’s, and they have had the opportunity to meet a lot of the trauma survivors who participate in DD activities and events.
But these little cats have their own important role around here. They don’t get to travel, but they get to stay home with me. They get to provide their companionship, their fun natures, their playfulness, their funny ways, and their closeness. They are officially part of my personal emotional support team, there’s no doubt about it.
I can pick up a cat, hold one for a minute, do a breathing exercise or two, and my stress level drops immediately. I can feel the calming effect these cats have for me. That’s incredible. It’s wonderful, and I hope I give back to them the same way they give to me.
As International Cat Day comes to a close this year, I still hope that you and your cats have had a wonderful day!
Do take gentle care, and from Jazzy, Jorgie, JJ, and Jedidiah…. we all wish you the very best in your healing journey, and we wish that many soft fluffy cats will find their way to your home too!
Warmly,
Kathy
The DDCF kittens:
Leave a Reply