Hello! My name is Zemi and I’m the newest crew member on Gémeaux. You probably know I’m not the first cat to be onboard—there are many tales about the legendary Dot. Did you know that I too have a little dot on my nose? I have a spot of pink skin on my black nose, which obviously means Dot and I share the same noble lineage. I know Dot was an awesome kitty and my parents loved her very much—that’s why they wanted to adopt me. I’m going to keep up Dot’s tradition of telling you my story of being a boat cat on Gémeaux. Look for Cat on Cat posts—those are my stories. But first, let me tell you how I got here. 

I was born in The Bahamas on Harbor Island in Eleuthera. When I was about 8 weeks old, I was taking a stroll and a bunch of dumb dogs started barking at me. I wasn’t scared of them, of course, but a human said the dogs wanted to eat me for lunch so she took me to the Ada Slaight Shelter/Briland Animal Rescue in town. The people at the shelter were very nice—they gave me my own indoor house with mountains of food, and got rid of all the bugs that were pestering my fur. Someone in New York saw my picture on this thing called Facebook and wanted me to live with them—I guess I’m prettier than all the felines in New York. My doctor, however, who lives on another island in The Bahamas, couldn’t give me my shots because of a Covid lockdown. I don’t know what a Covid is—I think it’s a really big bug that lives on humans and makes them stay home. Well, I sure didn’t want the Covid so I was happy to remain in my Ada Slaight penthouse.  

A week passed and I was sitting high on the top story of my home when I first met Mr. and Mrs. Gémeaux. I could tell right away they were cat people by the way they were holding some kittens that were about the size of my head. I tried to get the humans’ attention. Hey up here—come pet ME! Good thing Mr. Gémeaux is really tall—when he came near my house, I reached out my paw and started petting him. Of course he loved me instantly and I won over Mrs. Gémeaux when I let her pet my tummy and purred at top volume. That afternoon, on Friday the 13th, they became my parents and named me Zemi, which is good luck for the humans who live in my part of the world.  

I love my new home that guess what? is also called a cat. No dogs allowed. I get to be with my parents all the time and I can go in and out all day long without begging someone to open a door. I love walking on the roof, although the wind tickles my ears (you’ve probably noticed I have pretty big ears). I have a good sniffer, too, and I can smell when my parents are making something yummy to eat. I try to lend a helping hand but they always put me on the floor when I offer to help. I’m learning all the shortcuts to go right back, though, so I can convince them I’m the best volunteer taster. One night when they were sitting outside, I discovered a bowl of food that was so big I could sit in it and eat everything around me. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the big black bowl since then. There are lots of toys—strings and ropes hang everywhere and shells and rocks mom puts in little bowls just for me. Hundreds of playthings of every shape and size are on dad’s table that I love to knock around and carry off to my hiding places. Not much scares me except for the red and white stripy thing in the sky. Mom calls it a flag but I’m sure it’s a monster that’s winding up to pounce on me. My parents are teaching me about water, which is everywhere! They don’t let me get too close, which is fine by me because it’s really loud and tries to attack every time I get too close. Mom told me the two aquariums inside the house are safe places to watch the water but every time I try to look, it makes a big splash and I’m sure I’m going to get wet. When I get scared, I cry and go find mom, who lets me snuggle with her until I fall asleep. 

I’ve been a boat cat for one week now. I love it most when my house is still. Mom agrees. Dad, however, loves to move our house around. I know every time we’re getting ready to go because he sits in his favorite chair, makes the house really loud, and then everything starts to move. I like to sit with my parents when they’re together in the big chair, but only if it’s sunny and we’re not going very far. Otherwise, I find a cozy place inside and take a long nap. Today, we’re going to Cat Island! How do you like that!? I’m a cat on a cat at cat! 

I think I’m going to like being the lucky sailor. As my parents say—come wander with me. I’ll share my adventures and if you ever visit Gémeaux, I’ll share my toys with you…as long as you tell me where they keep that big black food bowl.

Love, Zemi 🐾

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