Marmalade

Marmalade is our sweet 3 1/2-year-old orange tabby girl. She is pure love and joy. I call her my ray of sunshine. She warms my heart and fills our home with her cheerful personality and chatty conversations.

Marmalade came into our home as our first official foster. She had been abandoned in a cardboard box at a vet, and she was very pregnant. Marmalade had 5 healthy and identical orange tabby kittens within 24 hours of being rescued. After she raised her kittens, she was spayed and ready to become a kitten herself again. Her happy personality and easy going nature made her one of the easiest fosters I had to date. More on how Marmalade dropped her foster status later. ❤️

What I don’t talk about very often is Marmalade actually left our home within her first week of being with us because she had contracted a wicked case of ringworm. As you can see in the following photo, she had an obvious spot of ringworm over her left eye, but when the vet looked her over, she had ringworm in numerous spots, especially on her belly. We later learned Marmalade contracted ringworm from new kittens at the rescue that nursed on her before she came to our home to foster. It was heartbreaking to send Marmalade to the vet just as soon as she was becoming a kitten again, but it was an eye-opening lesson as to why quarantining new rescue kitties from others is crucial in order to help prevent the spread of contagious diseases and fungal infections such as ringworm. Marmalade stayed at the vet for nearly 6 weeks in order to get treatment. We disinfected the entire house since ringworm is highly contagious. Fortunately, I nor my husband caught ringworm. ? Once Marmalade was clear of ringworm, she came back to us as a foster.

I will confess. I stubbornly never intended to adopt Marmalade. I did not want to do a disservice towards her or any of the fosters that crossed my path. We had adopted Ranger during the 6 weeks of Marmalade’s ringworm treatment. Ranger was going to be our one and only, but there was no denying that Marmalade touched our hearts and especially little Ranger’s. I witnessed the blossoming bond that developed between her and Ranger. It was undeniable how much they loved each other. I was the last one to realize that Marmalade was home all along. We all loved her! We made it official, and soon thereafter, we adopted Marmalade.

Marmalade is perfect in every shape and way. She never complains, and she is rarely in a bad mood. She is, however, a professional at hiding pain! When she was two, I took her to her routine exam. I mentioned nonchalantly that Marmalade had bad breath, but otherwise she seemed great. The doctor looked in Marmalade’s mouth and immediately saw the cause of the bad breath. Marmalade had stomatitis. Her gums were inflamed and most of her teeth were compromised. I felt like the worst pet parent at that moment. Marmalade had been in pain, and I had been clueless. Marmalade had all but three teeth removed. She has recovered beautifully from the dental extractions. Marmalade has no issues eating whatsoever. Teeth or no teeth does not stop her from having a great appetite. One adorable feature she has is her cute mouth. You may notice her mouth curves in a little. Her doctor has given her a thorough exam, and it is just the natural way Marmalade rests her mouth. It just adds more character to this already sweet and adorable girl!

Every day is filled with Marmalade’s happy chips and chatter. I could not imagine our family without Marmalade. She taught Ranger how to be a well-mannered boy, and they still remain two peas in a pod. Every night I go to sleep with Marmalade purring at my feet, and every morning I wake up to our ray of sunshine. We love precious Marmalade ?