When I first met April {10 years ago} we had so much in common, it was unreal {like everything}. Our friendship quickly flourished and she was meant to cross my path for a reason {definitely not by accident}. She is a {treasure} to me and making memories with her is my favorite thing to do. But before I bore you with 10 years of friendship stories. Let me tell you about her best friend. Her {furry} best friend.

April and I have always been {CAT} lovers. YES< we are those crazy cat ladies. Or maybe we are dedicated feline enthusiasts. Our biggest problem is when we are laying on the couch in an uncomfortable way, but our cat is comfortable we do.not.dare.move. We can’t ruin that precious cute moment when they are so snuggly soft, curled up and purring with contentment. And then you say to yourself “you’ve cat to be kitten me right meow” when your leg is falling asleep and cramping. But we can’t move. We just can’t.

April asked me earlier in the year to document her and Joey’s life together. He is almost 20 years old {93 in cat years} and getting more and more fragile day by day. But, he hasn’t used all of his 9 lives yet and still continues to find energy of a kitten on some. So I did. I recently documented their life together and it turned out beautifully.

Here is more about Joey.

1. What is Joey’s full name? How and Why did you pick that name?

Joseph Zemyan

Nicknames:

Joey

Bubbee (mostly)

Kitty Baby

Lover Cat

Sweet Old Man Cat

Joeyson

Babyson

When we adopted him, it was around Christmas time, my mom wanted something related to Christmas, and Joseph is a name from the bible even though we aren’t religious. I really wish he had a better story of his name. His name was originally “spaze” but we didn’t like it because he is a pretty mellow cat.

2. How old is Joey? How old is he in human years?

Joe is 19.5 in human years, which equates to 92.5 in cat years.

3. Where did you get Joey?

We adopted Joey from the Denver Dumb Friends League. I remember going there with my mom and sister. When we walked past Joey’s cage (he was barley 1 year old at the time) he was pawing through the crack and being very playful. We asked to take him out and see him in the playroom .The rest is history!

4. What is yours and Joey’s favorite thing to do?

Joey and I have play and snuggle time. He is happy if he’s sitting on my lap or when I play with his favorite toy — the string.

5. What is Joey’s favorite thing to do?

He enjoys bathing, long walks in the grass and sun rays on the carpet.

6. What are Joey’s favorite snacks? Anything outside of kitty treats?

He loooves his treats, he’s slightly obsessed. He will share an ice cream cone with me if I let him. He also enjoys licking (not eating) popcorn!

7. What does Joey do with most of his time?

This is the question of the century. If I only knew what Joe does with his day… I image he’s sleeping on the gray chair right now. In between naps, he’ll bathe and eat.

8. How did Joey get his snaggle tooth?

Joey had some bad teeth a few years ago; they were infected and needed to be removed. The vet pulled his top fangs (canines) leaving his bottom canines for his lip to rest on, thus resulting in a snaggle tooth.

9. What are Joey’s pet peeves?

Joe does not like wind or things blowing on him. If there is fan, he will not be near it. He doesn’t like his tail held or played with. He hates getting his nails clipped, although Cameron has had pretty good luck the last few times.

10. Any other fun facts about Joey?

Joe, even though he has all white paws, he has black toes! We call them black bean toes; they resemble black beans, yum! He is also rare because most cats with white faces have a pink nose, Joe’s is brown. He falls into the rare statistic of cats that like their bellies rubbed!

11. Has Joey had any girlfriends?

He has not had any girlfriends. We call his pet sitter, Jen his girlfriend but she is more like a babysitter I guess. Joey’s best friend was Jasper, the black cat that lived near the townhouse I used to live in. They would run and chase each other in the grass.  He is also good friends with his cousins Lilly and Bentley (the Boston terriers!) they like to share food and toys. Joe just loves his mamma too much to have time for a girlfriend ha!

12. What is Joey’s favorite toy?

Joe has many toys. He enjoys paper, foil balls, bread ties, boxes, bags and feathers. But most of all… his black string. I wish I could remember what I took the string from, probably a tag off of a shirt or something but it’s only a 2-inch string that he just can’t get enough of. He also enjoys rubbing his face on the bristle arch we got for him!

13. What are your fondest memories with Joey?

I have so many memories with Joe. He’s been in my life for more than half of it. Always by my side, a true companion.  I love seeing him greet people that come to our home and be friendly with other pets. He is truly a sweetheart.

 

“Behind every great person, is a great cat” -Anonymous