Last Thursday I got a phone call from my friend René. Her brother and his wife had taken in a very small kitten who had been rejected by his feral mother. She had four other babies to care for, and this one was the runt. They, the brother and SIL, had taken the little one to the Humane Society, but the HS said that since he weighed less than a pound they couldn’t put him up for adoption and would have to euthanize him. They gave the couple a fairly large pet carrier, some tiny litter pans, cat litter, kitten food, etc, and asked them to bring him back in a few days after he’d gained some weight. Fortunately (for me), they had to go out of town for the next couple of days and needed someone to either foster the kitty until he put on a few ounces, or just adopt him outright. And that’s when René called me.
After clearing it with my husband (who said, “Go for it,”) our son and I went and got the little fella. He was (still is) so teensy! About four weeks old.
The morning after we got him, we took him to the vet. He was tested for roundworm and ear mites (both negative), but he’s too little to have the FeLV & FIV tests. We have to keep him separated from our other cats for a couple of weeks, until he’s at least six weeks old and can be more conclusively tested. Well, the vet said eight weeks of age would be better, but for as long as we can stand it beyond the six-week point. So far that part’s not as hard as I thought it would be. The most difficult part is giving him the attention he craves. And I need to find him some toys to wrestle with, because his teeth and claws are quickly becoming too sharp for comfort, and anyway, I don’t want him thinking that human hands are his playthings.
Oh, and his name! We usually don’t have any trouble coming up with names for out pets, but this time was different. All the names that my husband or I thought were just right were, according to our kid, already ‘tooken’ by animals and people we know, or by characters from tv and movies. Couldn’t have that.
So after many hours of our suggestions being rejected, we finally named him Tooken.
I did the quarantine in the spare bathroom, the every three hour feedings, the wondering how to keep the little guy entertained.
Even when he assimilates with the other cats, what you will have on your hands is the most affectionate pet you’ve ever had. Abandoned cats seem to have a sense, or a memory that YOU saved their lives.
Mr. Bus Guy, I remember when you adopted/rescued Cuervo. He’s grown into a lovely young fellow! Looks like he’s part fox, maybe, with those enormo ears.
If Og grants me a healthy, affectionate, long-lived cat, that will be reward enough for me.
You should submit Tooken to The Daily Kitten
Where I get my daily dose of kitties since I don’t have any at the moment. But I want one or two. I just can’t have any right now.
How precious!! Absolutely adorable – congratulations to you and Tooken!
Get him one of these scratch boxes. Our cat LOVES hers! She loves it so much that we call it her “base station” or “recharger” because she likes to run around playing, then go sit or lay on her box for a while. She even brings her mousie toys to the box, drops them on it, then bats them off and plays with them some more, until she’s ready to recharge again. And that is the only thing in the entire house that she ever, ever scratches. Ever. She has never even come close to opening her claws on any piece of furniture, rug or anything else.
The one I linked to says it’s treated with organic catnip, but you can find them without it, or it may come with a separate bag of catnip, which you don’t have to use if you find using catnip objectionable. Here’s one that’s angled, and has a mousie toy built in! Too cute!
He was having his post-dinner wash just now, and when I said for him to come up and see the new Tooken cuz he’s so cute and a rescue just like himself, all he did was roll over and start purring…I guess that means he approves.
What a cutie!
