Before you all moan, pictures will be on tonight, but I’m kind of bursting with this, so I’m posting now.
You may remember a while back, I had to put Erica to sleep. I knew, I knew there’d be a new cat soon, I wasn’t expecting it to be this fast, but this just jumped into my lap.
Natalie is the daughter of a good friend. She works for Dr. Warren, and knew I’d be looking. She calls yesterday and I just knew what she wanted. She asked if I was looking for a male (yes), and an orange cat (yes, partial to orange cats, long story). :deep sigh::
Yes, Natalie, I am and what do you have?
She says she’ll show me if I can drop by the office, but the short version is there’s a kitten that the people who brought him in can’t keep and they want him to find a good home. Well, people have commented that if there is such a thing as reincarnation, that they’d like to return as a cat in my house, so I guess I’m good to the kids.
I agree to drop by, and made it there around 5.
Walk to the back room, and find a lady, bawling her eyes out holding the tiniest little orange cat you ever saw.
Here’s the story:
This lady found the cat hiding under some trash in her yard, nearly dead. It’s too small to be away from mom, and mom is nowhere to be seen. She takes the cat and runs to Dr. Warren. He and his amazing staff literally save the kids life. According to Warren, this fella was probably hours from just leaving us.
Over the past 4 days, he’s been anti-biotic’d, fed, flea bathed, ear mited, pampered, spoiled and brought back to being a relatively happy little fella again.
Since he’s well enough now to live in a home, Dr. Warren called the lady that brought him in. She can’t take him, she has 4 already and husband put his foot down. So Natalie called me.
The lady hands Natalie the cat, who turns and put him in my hand. Literally, one hand. She says Doc estimates he’s about 4 weeks, not yet weaned, but healthy as can be expected. The little guy settles into my hand, and lets me stroke him under his chin. It’s not purring, it’s more of a relaxed tremble.
Natalie says he needs the milk feeding through a dropper about every few hours during the day.
I work 1.4 miles from home, I can do that…next?
The other cats could seriously hurt him til he’s big enough to run, or defend himself, maybe the next few weeks or so.
Got a spare room he can live in when we’re not home…next?
Lady asked me if I like cats?
Uh, yeah…I’m a cat guy.
While we’re talking, I’m telling the people about our current cats, Scarlett and Marty, and how the house needs some livening up, cat-wise. As I say this, I look down at the boy and say “…and I’m counting on this guy to raise a little hell around the place…”. He looks me straight in the eye while I say this, rolls his head over into my hand and you can just hear him thinking “oh, yeah, I can DO that”
Natalie took him home last night, I was going to a ball game and couldn’t then. I said my best chance to get him would be Friday after work, Natalie says she’ll take care of him til then.
So…I meet the bus wife at the ball game. Big stupid grin on my face.
“What did you do?”
“I feel like a good person today dear, doing a good deed. Earlier I felt guilty about making a decision before consulting with you, but that’s passed, and now I just feel good”
“You got a cat.”
Yeah, I’m that transparent.
So spend the time at the game telling her all about the little guy, and we’re picking names. She wants to get him tonight - no waiting for Friday, bring him home NOW so we can start taking care of him.
By tonight, when he’s home, I’ll have pics and try to post them here.
As for names, well we’re sports fans, and Chicago-ish in nature, so we’ve tossed around a couple like Butkus, Ozzie, Fergie and Payton. Also under consideration is Cuervo (he’s the color of a fine gold tequila).
So, tonight after I get home, and the wife gets home, we’ll run to Natalie’s, talk about all his special needs and take the kid to his new place.
Imagine me, adopting an abandoned orphan. Go figure.
