👑 Queen of the Bleps | Spokes Cat for Tongue Out Tuesdays

Many of you already know this adorable face—Kissy Suzuki is the beloved star of Tongue Out Tuesdays, and she wears that title with pride!

Born in the summer of 2014, this schnoogy, toothless senior has become synonymous with our mission—and she absolutely loves the notoriety. Kissy is the very definition of what we lovingly refer to as the Hot Mess Express. Her medical resume includes chronic kidney disease (CKD), chronic rhinitis, mammary cancer, and a persistent tendency to urinate where she shouldn’t when placed in a home environment. (She lived with my eldest son for a few years and proved, without question, that some bad habits simply do not die hard.)

That said, we attribute much of her litter box inconsistency to her past. Kissy was rescued from a truly horrific hoarding situation, where she never had the opportunity to learn proper manners. Even now, she occasionally redirects her aim beyond the dozen-plus litter boxes we provide—but in our setting, where surfaces are easy to clean and boxes are scooped at least three times daily, this is a completely manageable quirk.

Sadly, Kissy’s CKD and mammary cancer will ultimately be what take her from us. But truth be told, we never expected her to be with us as long as she has been. If anyone knows how to defy the odds stacked impossibly high against her, it’s our Queen of the Bleps.

Kissy Suzuki may be a hot mess—but she is our hot mess, and she continues to show us every day what resilience, joy, and survival truly look like. 💕