This is the story of a kitty on a mission. On Wednesday, while weeding around the pool in my backyard, our dog Olive was chasing something around until she chased it right over to me and I scooped her up. Now, for those non-cat people who don't know, stray cats, or even most cats, do not go quietly and nicely to strangers. This little lady was feather light and let me hold her while I just walked around the yard thinking, what do I do with her??
So my husband and I drove her over to the vet that we bring our dogs to, but it turns out they were closed. So we sat in the car looking up shelters, but they all closed at 4 or 4:30pm and it was just after 5pm. So she wandered around the car while we tried to figure out our next move.
Look, I'm in an ashtray!
It looked like there was nothing we could do for the night, so we brought her back to the house. I crushed up some dog food and added water to make it soft and gave her a bowl of water and put her in the library away from the dogs. I posted a picture (the one above) on Facebook in the hopes that someone might be interested. A lot of people told me to keep her, but I knew our house was not the right one for this kitten.
It took everything I had to keep strong and try to find somewhere to bring her. The next day, I went to work and left a little early to bring her to a shelter so she could be adopted. I brought her to the closest one and waited until someone came to reception. A man jumped in front of me to talk to the lady so I stayed seated. He asked them to take 4 cats. They said they cannot take any more cats or kittens. He asked them to put the cats down then. They told him they could not put down healthy animals. He said he couldn't keep them and the receptionist suggest that he try a vet, who might euthanize them.
My heart broke.
I stood up still in shock after the man left to assumingly get those cats killed. She told me the same thing, that they could not take any more cats or kittens. They were storing them in the office, reception area, and everywhere else. So I left, called my husband and cried. I promised the kitty I wouldn't let anyone kill her. So I went to the car and called the local chapter of PAWS, they don't accept cats or kittens, and neither did the other 3 shelters I tried. I was heartbroken. I was considering keeping her, but with the puppies, the possibility of her getting out of the yard and the added cost was not looking good. So I called North Shore Animal League and went on a waiting list.
I left and went to the supermarket to get her food and litter, made an appointment for later that day with my vet and took her home. I posted about the saga on Facebook and asked is someone could please give her a home.
Guess where I am?
Just before the vet appointment, my wonderful friend Kelly said she was considering it. She owned two cats already and I know she does well with her cats. So I took her to the vet where they confirmed what I was only assuming, that she is a girl. She is 6-7 weeks old. She did have fleas and a minor upper respiratory infection (aka kitty cold), but healthy otherwise, which the vet was surprised but pleased about. He gave us meds and flea medication and told us to give her a bath.
Drying off.
Licking herself as she dries.
Fluffy once more!
Once it was confirmed she was a little lady, I named her Desdemona. I sat with her in the bathroom for a while. She loves my lap and enjoyed crawling all over me.
And eating my shirt. Om nom nom nom...
The only thing I was worrying about was that the vet said that she was healthy as long as she had an appetite. And it seemed like the only appetite she had was for my shirt and fingers. She wasn't really touching the cat food. So like a good mom, I put some on my finger and let her sniff it until she ate it. Then a bit more. Then offered her the bowl. Which she ate from, but only from my lap. I spent a lot of last night sitting in the bathroom with this kitten. Once she had eaten and seemed to be in good spirits, I brought her into the living room. The dogs had been going crazy since we brought her in the house. Benny was actually a gentle giant...
You smell like kitty.
Olive, however, as more of a sniffing bully. I think she was just excited to be bigger than someone. I couldn't even get a picture because Olive was being so ridiculous. So Desi snuggled up to me. Every once in a while she would venture off to other parts of the couch. She enjoyed attacking toes...
Mmmm.... those toes look delicious.
So now she is back in her bathroom for now, until her new mom comes to pick her up tonight. I am sad to see her go, but she needs a new home. I can't wait to watch her grow from afar. And excited that Benny might stop whining.
Say bye bye little Desdemona!!
UPDATE: Kelly cannot take the cat. She is back to looking for a home...
