Saturday, March 22, 2008

We celebrate Easter in sort of a different way. Saturday is the horseshoe tournament at our neighbors Kevin and Vicky. Sunday is brunch at our other neighbors Richard and Hillary.

But we had a special treat today when we got home from Vicky and Kevin's, we discovered a very young kitten (oxymoron) in our driveway. We have lots of feral cats in the area. So today one of the babies of a feral cat found our driveway and refused to accept anything but unconditional help from us.

I've never cared for a kitten who probably had not been weaned. It was too late to go to PetSmart to get the kitten milk so we made do with half and half with water warmed to a nice mother-type temperature. We also built a den for the kitty that included a heating pad under a bunch of towels.

I will be up at two hour intervals tonight to feed her; yes I think it's a girl. I found some old syringes (minus the needles) that we used with our late Golden Retriever Emily. They are great for feeding teeny tiny kittens.

Tomorrow I'm off to PetSmart to get the kitten formula. It seems sort of right to have a new baby when the rest of life seems intent on taking away life. My sister is still doing okay; she loved rescuing cats so I'm sure she would love this one too. I think I'll name her Vicky. Our two cats were really curious about the new kitty. They wanted to climb into her den but I wasn't sure what they would do.

So I'll be mothering all night. I just want her alive in the morning. She is a noisy little thing.

3 comments:

dykewife said...

the baby knows when she/he's found a good place. don't forget to get the babe to a vet to make sure that it's not carrying anything your cats can catch. oh, i don't know if you know this, but you need to use a damp cloth to wipe the baby's bottom to get it to evacuate it's bowels and urinate. the mom cat would do that with her tongue. it keeps the nest clean.

Anonymous said...

ohhh she found you....
I love it when pets come to us like a gift this way.
I'll be thinking of you in the night when I'm up and down...

Anonymous said...

I think there is something very important about this little kitty finding you right now. As a cat lover I want to thank you for taking her in and caring for her.

I have been reading and following your sister's progress. I haven't written because I haven't know what to say and didn't want my words to be hollow. Also here struggle and the impact on you and the rest of the family hits very close to home.

I am cautiously optimistic by your recent posts. I know from hearing stories that it was agonizing for my family when it seemed there was little to no progress going on. I think though from what I have read she has a strong will and the love of family. That is important.

Take care and know that I am thinking about you and Vicky and the rest of your family.

Amanda