Semantics & So On

Carolyn and I have been without pets for a few years, and we’ve been talking about getting another critter once the renovations were finished. A cat was the leading contender. The renovations aren’t quite done, but the universe had a different vision for us. Not a cat but three kittens.

Last Monday, one of the renovation tasks involved something with unpleasant fumes. A series of thunderstorms the day before made it cool outside, so I decided to open some windows. Outside my living room, I heard the cry of a cat in distress.

A stray tortoiseshell has been hanging around in the yard for a few months, and I thought it might be her. I went out to check. No sign of her, but I located the source of the wailing. A planter pot beneath the window had flooded in the rain, and held a litter of kittens. One had already died. The other three could barely keep their heads above water.

I rescued the living ones. They were so cold. One was barely breathing. I warmed up a bed buddy of Carolyn’s and put it under a towel in a box, then covered them like a kitten hoagie to keep them warm. Carolyn came home from work so we could take them to a veterinary hospital

At the clinic, they warned us that “Kitten #2” almost certainly wasn’t going to make it through the night, and that the others might not, either. Still, we decided it was worth trying, and all three came through. The vet estimates that they were about four weeks old.

“Kitten #1” is the one I heard yelling. We’ve named him Loki. He was the first to realize how fun it is to pounce on my ankles with his claws out. They’re covered in fine scratches. It’s worth it.

We’ve named “Kitten #2” Kokopelli. He’s a little escape artist. Because the renovations are still going on, we have to keep them corralled in one bedroom. We open that door, and he’s like, “WHAT’S OUT THERE?”

The little girl, a tortoiseshell like her mama, is Eris. She’s a sweetie but takes no guff from her brothers. If one of them starts something, she gives it right back. And sometimes she starts trouble of her own.

Speaking of mama, we still see her. She came back to where I found the kittens a few time, calling out for them. We put out food daily in that area for her. While she won’t let either of us near her, we hope she’ll get used to coming for the food so we can do a trap/neuter/release and avoid more kittens. Maybe someday, she’ll come to trust us.