Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

October 1, 2019

One Year of Being a Cat Mom!

    One year ago today, I adopted my cat Delilah, and got to bring her home! October 1st is her "Gotcha" day, and I figured a full year of cat ownership finally deserved a dedicated post all about Delilah and being a pet mom. Stay tuned as well for tons of adorable photos- I take so many cute photos of her each day that it was honestly hard to narrow it down to just favorites!



Delilah / Cat Mom Life Q&A:

     *How long did you think about adopting a cat? I had a beloved childhood cat growing up named Shakeena, that my family adopted when I was just three years old. She lived a very long life, but unfortunately when I was 15 I was diagnosed with awful cat allergies (Awful as in I'd get really scary hives- the first time it happened I had to go to the ER! Much more serious than just sneezing and watery eyes). I had always dreamed of having more cats as an adult, but let that dream die when I was diagnosed with allergies. Anyways, I was re-tested in July 2018, and the tests came back negative! So it had been at the back of my mind again to adopt a cat, but I still wasn't sure that I was "ready." Maybe that's how some people feel about having kids? Haha! 

     *What age or type of cat did you want to adopt? I have nothing against purebred cats, but I wanted a rescue cat! My parents had adopted my childhood cat from our local shelter, and she was the best. Originally, I actually wanted a senior cat. I was still so nervous about the responsibility of a pet, and I liked the idea that a senior pet wasn't a commitment for as many years, and that they would probably have a more mellow personality. Plus- I think it's so sad when older pets are in shelters, so I wanted to do my part with that. Kittens are so cute, but I knew I wasn't quite ready to devote the time and energy to a young cat! Delilah was two when I adopted her (now she's three!) so that was definitely younger than I was anticipating originally. 
     I didn't have a breed or certain type of cat in mind (like short vs. longhair)- I cared mainly about the personality of the cat!

     *How did you find Delilah? My mom actually found her! She visited me for about two and a half weeks last fall, and I told her when she arrived about how I'd been thinking about getting a cat finally. One day while I was at work, she ended up in the Pet-Valu pet store in Charlottesville (located in the Pantops area), and she noticed that they had cats for adoption in the store from a local animal rescue. She saw Delilah and sent me a picture of her (below).... and I was hooked! I had never seen eyes as blue as that. I went back to the store with my mom to meet her either that day or the next day- I can't remember! After meeting her, I filled out an application for Delilah, but my mom and I still went to the local animal shelter that weekend to see if there was a cat there I'd bond with better. The shelter had some sweet ones, but I couldn't get Delilah out of my head! The following Monday evening (October 1st), we brought her home after I got out of work. ๐Ÿ˜Š

The very first picture I ever saw of Delilah- those eyes sold me!


     *What rescue is Delilah from? Delilah is from a fantastic non-profit animal rescue based out of Fluvanna (a neighboring county to Charlottesville) called Green Dogs Unleashed. While their organization originally just focused on dogs, they now help out homeless cats as well! This organization is so wonderful as they have special focus on getting special needs pets adopted and into the homes of people that can really benefit from them. Delilah personally isn't a special needs pet, nor is she an emotional support animal, but I love knowing that the organization she came from has such a focus on that. Green Dogs Unleashed has a partnership with the Pet-Valu store in Charlottesville to have some of their kittens and cats up for adoption in the store- which is how my mom found her and let me know about her! Charlottesville and Albemarle County do have a fantastic animal shelter as well, but I personally am partial to Green Dogs and can't recommend adopting from them enough! 

     *What's Delilah's story and breed? Sadly I don't know much! ๐Ÿ˜ฟShe was found as a stray off a road in Louisa County (a rural county about 45 minutes from Charlottesville). She is such a beautiful cat and looks like she could be partly or purebred Ragdoll, so Green Dogs Unleashed actually kept her in a foster home for awhile to see if anyone would claim her, before putting her up for adoption! I am not sure if cat DNA tests are a thing but I would love to find out someday if she is a purebred cat or not. The vet estimated she was two when I adopted her last year! 

     *How did you pick her name? Once my mom and I started talking about me looking for a cat to adopt, I made a mental list of names I liked for boy and girl cats. My favorite girl name was Magnolia, and this is what I called her for her first few hours at home after adoption! The rescue was calling her Samantha, but I didn't like that name for a cat. (I'm not sure her original name since she was a stray.) A few hours after she got home, something about the name Magnolia didn't feel right. I still love it as a pet name, but just not for this cat. 
     I've shared before on the blog that my radio idol is nationally syndicated night show host Delilah. I've been obsessed with her for years and years, and she's a big part of the reason why I pursued my dream of getting into radio! After the cat was home for a few hours, I looked at her and the name "Delilah" popped into my head. It seemed perfect for her, and had such special meaning to me! A lot of people have asked if she's named after the Plain White T's song "Hey There Delilah", but I love her namesake even more. ๐Ÿ˜Š

    Here are a few special pictures of Delilah's adoption: 

When we came to pick her up on Adoption Day, they had a kitten that didn't have a mom in the cage with her! It was the sweetest thing ever. 

Our first picture together! Look at how she's looking at me! ๐Ÿ˜ช

Another picture together in the pet store before we took her home. 

      *What are your favorite things about being a cat mom? Being a cat mom is the best! I feel like cats get such a bad reputation, but they are amazing pets. And let me just say they're so ideal for a single adult! There are certain dog breeds that I really love, but I don't think I'll ever consider getting a dog until I'm in a serious relationship and have a second person that could help me care for it. Cats are really easy to care for by yourself though! 
     Anyways- if I had to narrow it down to one favorite thing about Delilah- it would be how CUTE she is all the time. Everything she does is cute: playing, eating, sleeping, etc. I've wasted so much time in the last year just watching her in awe, haha. Her cute little antics have brought so much joy to everyday life!
     Also I was so incredibly proud of Delilah for settling in so well so far at my new apartment. I was really nervous for moving with her, but she's done great here from the very first day!

     *Any least favorite things or surprising things you weren't prepared for? Definitely! I love Delilah so much, but every day hasn't always been easy. My least favorite thing about her happened just a few weeks ago... when she *broke* my living room TV. ๐Ÿ˜‘Pets of all shapes and sizes can cause damage- never underestimate or assume they won't! 
    The second most annoying thing was that she literally didn't sleep at night for her first few months home. I tried to have Delilah sleep with me in bed for the first few weeks, but she never actually slept on my bed and would just get into stuff in my room. So I started shutting the door and keeping her in the living room. But for the first few months, she still woke up several times a night and would cry loudly outside my door. She was so loud that I could hear her over my white noise machine and with earplugs, haha! Homegirl has a big voice. Fortunately now she is a lot quieter at night (she only wakes me up 1-2 nights a week instead of every night), but it's still not perfect!
    

     I have literally thousands of pictures of Delilah on my phone and computer (#obsessed)... but I've narrowed it down to a few favorites from our first year together below:








    Thanks so much for reading! And thanks also to everyone who DMs me when they enjoy seeing Delilah in my Instagram photos and Stories- it makes my day! ๐Ÿ˜ธ


     God Bless,


    xoxo Annaliese
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3 comments

  1. She's such a beautiful cat! Love those bue eyes! We adopted our two cats about 9 years ago. They are such a blessing!
    Ellibelle's Corner

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  2. Awww she is so beautiful! Those eyes would get me too. That's amazing you're not allergic anymore. I was wondering if she was named after Delilah the radio host. My hubbys kitty has turned me into a cat lady forever.

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  3. She is so beautiful! And rescue cats are the best! Blizzard (and his late brother) came from the Humane Society! Blizzard is fluffy and has a loud meow like Delilah too! Thanks for sharing that cats are amazing pets. I don’t know why they get such a bad rap! ��

    ReplyDelete

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