CAT ON A HOT CONCRETE SIDEWALK
Seven years ago, my daughter found a newborn kitten on the sidewalk on her way to school. She called me and asked me what she should do. I told her to wrap it, keep it warm and I’d come home from work. By the time I got home, she’d already named the little black ball of fur Rosie. We took it to the vet around the corner where I’d taken my other cats for several years. The office administrator was such a beeyotch. She said they didn’t take in any animals unless it was contracted from Maricopa County and they got paid. Amazing when you spend thousands of dollars someplace and they’ll still throw you to the curb.
Stunned, we left and went down a few miles to another vet I’d drive by each day to work. When we arrived, Jeanette and the gals up at the front desk expressed immediate concern about the baby and without even being a client, they took Rosie in the back with another litter of young cats. I generously donated money to a fund to assist with their efforts. Even offered to help, and learn, how to foster.
ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING
We got a call the next day from Jeanette asking if we could help out with the kittens. I took my girls with me and the gals showed us how to feed them, wipe them and help them expel their bowel waste. Loaded us up with heat pads, blankets, bottles and baby kitty food and worked out a schedule with them on how long we’d have them. Rosie was nestled in with four other kittens, who were about a week old. All had closed eyes, squeaky mews and hungry mouths.
Feeding those five babies was a circus of epic proportions. Each blind (eyes still closed) kitten flailed their head at the smell of formula, reaching their paws up and grabbing at whatever they could to get a hold of that bottle. The girls and I were accosted by tiny soldiers fighting for a drop of fluid and sucked down bottle after bottle. After a day or so, we gave the other kittens names. Abigail for the little short-haired tabby, Harley for the black boy, and Louie and Lola for the grey Russian-Blue looking twins.
I traded off with Jeanette every few days, since they really needed around-the-clock care. With both of us working, we knew it was hard to always be there. Of course my girls were generous enough to offer skipping school to help out.
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
Because Rosie was so much younger than the other kittens, her battle was uphill. Sadly, she only lived 11 days. But the 25+ other kitties we’ve fostered over the years, plus a dog… have all lived and are the most wonderful pets. People that adopt them always remark how amazed they are at how loving, full of personality and friendly they are. When you get them at birth, it’s not hard to shape their character 🙂
As for Harley and Louie, they were adopted. Lola and Abi declared their territory in our hearts and became part of our family. They turn 7 in September!
kitty konfidential 