About JESSE
Jesse joined Team N&J way back in October of 2014… he was languishing in a small ‘prison’ cell (PetSmart Store) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. N&J were traveling throughout the US south-west, visiting cat stores & shelters along the way, getting their ‘kitty love’ whenever they had the chance. Unbeknownst to J (the driver), N (the navigator) was entering ‘animal shelters’ into the GPS; meanwhile J belief was they were heading to a re-fueling station…. OH LOOK!!! Another pet store!
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Jesse at the time was a very large (not fat) 7 month old male Tabby kitten (w/some Maine Coon) who had been in this facility for over 4 months. No one seemed to want a large kitten who was bigger than most fully-grown adult cats. Consequently due to all the rejection he looked very despondent in his tiny glass cage, slumped with his back to the glass wall (and prospective ‘masters’… or should we say ‘servants’). N&J decided to have a closer look, inside the viewing room Jesse circled the room before settling between N&J on the floor… purring madly.
Problem being, N&J were ‘on the road’ for another 3 weeks before returning back to home in Vancouver, BC, so they took some time to discuss the ramifications of what about they were to do. Meanwhile Jesse assumed his ‘sad & depressed look’ in the cage…. another day, another rejection. 🙁
Needless to say, it was decided to move forward in having Jesse join the team. So after purchasing ‘ALL’ the gear needed (litter box, scratch post, food, toys, etc…), we returned to the viewing room with a pet travel carrier.
As N&J returned, Jesse perked up noticing we had come back. The carrier was placed on the floor, Jesse was released from his ‘holding cell’ & he promptly walked into the carrier, turned around & sat down… arms folded as if to say “lets blow this pop stand”.
Jesse purred loudly all the way to his new camper home ‘Hobbes’. Once we settled into the van, he explored his new surroundings, checking out his new ‘huge’ space with abandon. His first night went without a hitch. He joyously played with his new toy (a blue feather on a blue stick) for what seemed like hours… he obviously hadn’t been played with much. Finally settled down for the evening, Jesse slept soundly beside N&J the whole night.
The next day resumed the travel schedule heading back towards Canada to Jesse’s new home. Traveling in Hobbes was no problem whatsoever for Jesse, he patrolled around the van, sometimes lying on the dashboard watching the world go by. As the trio made their way north the temperatures started to drop quickly, which must have come to a bit of a shock for the New Mexico native, but he just snuggled in even closer. The overnight stay in Kimberly, BC dropped to -8C… coin toss to see who starts the engine to warm up.
Upon returning back home to Vancouver, Jesse was overwhelmed by the size of his new condo abode… it even came with a very large outdoor patio with garden, trees & a pond. Oh life has transformed for this feline.
Note: Contacted the pet store people in Albuquerque after returning home to update on Jesse’s new home, they informed N&J that is was very fortunate that Jesse found a new ‘fur-ever’ home… he was to be ‘put down’ shortly after if no adoptive parents were found…. one lucky cat!!!
Jesse now spends his days living in Whistler, BC with his parents (servants) N&J, lounging on his sundeck overlooking the mountains & lakes, traveling in Hobbes as much as possible.
Life is sweet indeed!!!
Check out Jesse’s first post: “A New King in Town” by N & J.
Also check out Jesse’s Instagram link found on main page, or: http://instagram.com/Jessecatadventures
Sometimes ‘the road’ can be daunting for van travelers, cats are no exception. Whenever Jesse is feeling the stress of ‘being out there’ he restores his calmness with a healing session from Rhonda ‘Mountainspirit’.
HEALTH ALERT: Jesse has a hereditary problem (being a male neutered Tabby cat) of bladder crystals that can cause blockages resulting in a hospital visit to remedy. Seemingly the problem is caused by conditions in his bladder being too acidic (low pH) or too alkaline (high pH). This can be caused by dietary (ie. food that is not balanced for a cat) & not drinking enough fluids to flush the crystals from his system. The usual diet of ‘kibble’ is problematic causing high alkaline conditions & poor ‘cheap’ cat food contributes as well. A diet of ‘raw food’ is generally recommended as it normalizes the cat’s nutitional make-up, it can be more expensive but the alternative is huge vet bills. We also now monitor Jesse’s urine output to ensure the pH levels are where a cat needs to be (6.0 to 6.5), using a specialty cat litter ‘Pretty Litter’ that indicates using a colour spectrum… so far it works very well. It not only monitors the urine, it also absorbs the odours very well & is not dusty.
JESSE’s Travel Gear – While on the road (and outside at home too), Jesse being an ‘inside’ cat uses gear to keep him safe from the ‘great outdoors’ (Although he probably would never run away, if chased by a dog (or some wild beast) he may ‘get lost’ running to unknown safety). Along with wearing a body harness (never steps out the door without this), attached to the harness are an ID tag & an Apple ‘air tag’ (to track his wear-abouts in the event he goes missing) & a retractable leash… Jesse is also ‘chipped’ to permit quick Identity at a vet’s office in the event he is found lost.
Of course walking a cat (HRH “His Royal Hissness”) is never a strenuous activity (walk 10 feet, sit down for 5 mins, walk some more, sit… repeat), so N&J found a GEN 7 Pet Stroller* (https://amzn.to/3MiBtl5) with large wheels that can do trails, gravel, etc. This allows the threesome to go on hikes, shopping and walks through city centres & parks AND get exercise!!! Jesse seems to enjoy the process, so much so, sometimes he can be found at home sitting in his ‘go-kart’ in the entrance foyer… “let’s go for a walk!!!” 🐈
Whenever the travel day has ended… a lightweight, foldable PET Tent* (https://amzn.to/3NMLZD8) is setup for Jesse. This so he can lounge while dinner is cooked, around the campfire (Jesse tends to sit away from the fire, away from ‘his’ people, usually near a bush to observe the ‘night critters’) or whenever the camp is being prepared or packed up.
Some may think this somewhat cruel treatment, but he actually likes the security and will gladly walk into the tent on his own & lie down. The tent folds up flat & is easily stowed away in the van (of course NOT with JESSE the cat in it 😜).
*As an Amazon Associate N&J earn from qualifying purchases