kitty cat...ahhh

last wednesday night, i was walking into the church when charlotte called me. it seems she had just gotten home and couldn't get dingo to come up to the porch. they could hear her nearby (it was dark) barking up a storm and growling. charlotte got all of her things into the house and went out to try and discover what dingo was upset about. she found her standing over two little kittens which had crammed themselves into the crevices of a rock wall i built a long time ago. they were frightened beyond description, freezing cold, and hissing with all they had.

charlotte gathered them up and took them into the house. they were tiny and lethargic. she wasn't exactly sure what to do with them as i am violently allergic to cats and have never in my life had one in my home. i can merely sit in the home of a cat owner for twenty minutes before my body begins to rebel. my eyes swell to unnatural proportions, my throat and eyes itch beyond reason, my asthma goes into over-drive, and i sneeze with little stopping. she decided to put the kittens in a cardboard box, fill it with towels, and put it on the porch. she tried to feed them and get them to drink water; but, they were uninterested...or unable.

when we awoke in the morning, the cats were in horrible condition. they grey kitten appeared dead. he was lying on his side with his mouth open, his tongue hanging out, drool puddled near his head, and he had lost control of his bowels. his body did not rise and fall due to breathing. i thought he was dead. the white kitten was a little-but not much- better. he did not appear to be breathing either. when i touched him, he began to take deep gasps for air, and meow. after 30 seconds on this, he would return to his semi-comatose state.

i hurried them down to the veterinary clinic in town. it was about 7:45 and no doctors were meant to arrive into the office until 8:30. the receptionist had me fill out forms of "ownership." i repeated that they weren't my cats, i wasn't sure how much i was willing to spend on their treatment, and i was merely trying to do what i thought was the right thing rather than allow my dog to eat them. she said she understood, and she would call after the doctor had arrived and examined them.

later that morning i got a call that informed me that they were both alive. the six-week-old kittens were suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, hypothermia, and flea anemia. they had so many fleas, which had extracted so much blood, that they were dying from lack of blood. i'd never heard of such a thing. i was told they would be getting care all day, and i would receive another call in the afternoon.

when i called back that afternoon, i was told that the grey cat died. although i thought it was dead anyway, and hate cats in general, this was sad and upsetting news. the white cat was doing pretty well owing to an i.v. of saline, a blood transfusion, liquid vitamins, and a heating incubator. thankfully the vet explained that she would be happy to provide this treatment pro bono, as the kitten had received several hundred dollars worth of treatment. she said this cat was about as close to dying as possible without actually going over the edge. i went to get him.

i still hate cats. i don't want to have a cat in my house. i can't wait until it is well enough to be out on the porch. on the other hand, frosty (jackson has already named him) is a cute little thing and i can't help petting him and loving him.

what has this world come to?!