Cat of the Month, March 2019: Kiki-Bell

03-

Kiki-Bell, a 14-year-old Russian Blue and the Bothell Pet Hospital March Cat of the Month, came in from the cold to find love and a forever home. This shy beauty, once considered feral, was brought to her new home 11 years ago. Along the way, she learned what love and companionship was all about and decided that it worked just fine for her.

Kiki-Bell’s new life came about through the efforts of many. An avid cat lover, Rebecca Ransom (Kiki-Bell’s soon to be owner) was on a Microsoft company employee email list for all things “cat.” One day, an email was sent to the list seeking homes for a dozen cats and a senior dog who were about to become homeless. The employee who sent the note knew an elderly woman who not only had several pets, but was also feeding all the stray cats in her neighborhood. Unfortunately, this compassionate individual was about to be transitioned to a nursing home by her family and they had decided not to continue care for the pets and the strays.

“I already had six of my own cats, but what could I do?” Rebecca remembers. “I volunteered to take one or two of the cats in need of care and offered to open my home to any of the elderly, sick, or unsocialized cats, since I already had plenty of friendly lap cats.

“I was really surprised when the person coordinating the rescue said she would send me two 3-year-old Russian Blue sisters who had been living under the elderly woman’s house and were considered feral.”

As it turns out, the rescuers could catch only one of the sisters initially, and that was the cat who has become Kiki-Bell. (Never fear, as her sister was rescued at a later date and also ended up in a new, loving home.)

“Kiki was terrified of people when she got here,” Rebecca says. “We spent several months socializing her and slowly introducing her to the other animals in our house. I am happy to share that she is now a lovely family member who gets along well with everyone. She’s just a tad shy with new people.”

When Kiki-Bell joined the family, her original name was Bella. Rebecca had planned to name the sisters Bella and Alice from the Twilight series, which was definitely a popular film 11 years ago. From that, Rebecca’s husband started calling her Kiki, which was short for “kitty kitty.” In the end, it was combined with Bella to become Kiki-Bell. Other names that have since evolved include Pretty Pretty Bella, Keeks, Keeker, and Keek-a-leek—all imbuing her eclectic charm and shy nature.

To this day, Kiki remains shy but sweet with strangers; with people and animals she knows, Kiki is over-the-top friendly. In fact, her favorite pastime is sleeping on top of the other cats and dogs in the household. Kiki-Bell has become one of those cats who will crawls all over you and sits on top of your face or head.

Kiki has been visiting the team at Bothell Pet Hospital for her entire 11 years with her family. Out staff knows her well as she tends to become quite dramatic when visiting the hospital, always making a bit of a fuss as she’s being brought down the halls to be seen by the team. Just part of her Kiki charm.

Recently, Kiki-Bell visited Bothell Pet Hospital to be seen for an infection, which we’re proud to say has cleared up nicely. Over the years, Kiki has had her ups and downs medically, having been treated for a thyroid issue and seasonal asthma as well as having a total ear canal ablation in response to removal of a tumor. To this day, she remains a good sport through all the processes and has proven to heal quickly.

“We are so happy to have her in our lives,” Rebecca says, “and so glad she has taken her medical issues in stride. We hope she’s with us for many years to come.”