Koko Puff’s Journey: From Flea-Infested Beginnings to a Loving Home

by Joanne Wheeler
(O’Fallon, Mo.)

Koko Puff

I actually got my ragdoll from my next door neighbor. The cat was left in her basement by some people who lived there for a short time and just moved out one day. My neighbor didn’t like cats so she gave her to me.When I got her at age two, her name was FEEFEE and she was loaded with fleas. They were so bad you could asee them run across the top of her head! I immediately got her the groomer and we got rid of those nasty fleas. My daughter decided to name her KOKO because of her color and I added the PUFF. She was the best cat in the world and I had no idea what breed she was.All I knew was that she was so cute,sweet,soft, and furry. I loved the way she purred, and she would lay in my lap for hours.She was my best friend. I loved to hold her and kiss her sweet little face every day. She also had nicknames like my little princess, baby, and my angel from heaven. I even bought her a stroller and took her for a ittle walk when the weather was just perfect for her. She gave me so much joy and love more than any other animal I ever had. She would walk through the house to where I would be and I would say to her, Sqeak for mama and she would!!!I subscribed to cat fancy magazine and shortly there after I realized what breed she was.When she was about ten years old, she got ear mites and have to have surgery, and it made her right ear fold over but I thought it added to her sweet personality and made her even cuter.Then this year in early March, I had to take her to the vet and she had an infection and a mass in her stomach that was laying on her bladder and I was told she had two weeks left to live.I then had to take her back to the vet exactly two weeks later on March 25th, and I held her in my arms while the vet put her to sleep.It was the worst day of my life and I still cry every day because I miss her so much. I loved her so much and so deep that when she died, so did my heart.I had my precious angel for 18 years and loved every minute of it. No one can ever take her place but I would love to rescue another ragdoll soon.