Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Speaking of Brave....


The little kitten tops that list. I thought I'd give an update on her after all the comments from the last post. Colleen apparently had some uncanny insight, as she left a comment saying that it seemed the kitten was a metaphor for our throw-away society.

After examining her, the veterinarian concluded she had blunt head trauma, most likely from being thrown out a car window.... and she'd probably have permanent neurological damage. I must have happened upon her right after she had been thrown out, thus her dazed and disoriented condition. They kept her at the clinic to observe her for 2 days and then I picked her up and brought her home. She was at least partially blind, not responding to visual stimuli. She couldn't walk... she would walk in circles and tumble down on herself. And she was having seizures about every 10 minutes. I really didn't think there was much hope for her.

I kept her in a crate in our utility room (i'm not supposed to have indoor pets) and tried to make her comfortable, but knew I'd have to make a decision about euthanizing. If her condition stayed the same, she would have a miserable life. It pained me to watch her try to walk and topple over backwards in the effort.... and how she huddled in the corner with a look of terror in her eyes before each seizure. The only hopeful sign was her appetite. She was a little piggy, and thus I nicknamed her "Miss Piggy". She also had a loud motor and purred contentedly when I held her or pet her.

We had plans to go out of town for the weekend, and Fiddlegirl agreed to keep kitty for us. When I was driving her there, Miss Piggy had the worst seizure yet, and my heart sank. I worried about her the whole weekend and knew the decision I'd probably have to make when I returned.

But amazingly, when we returned, Fiddlegirl told me she had a seizure the first night, but had none since. And she was letting the kids hold her, and was walking better. I took her home and observed the same. She was still a little wobbly, but could walk without falling over. And over the next week, she continued to improve. She still couldn't see well, but she would find me by my voice. I'd let her out of the crate when I'd be outside, and she would trot underfoot, and run around and chase Sir Laughsalot. And the seizures had completely subsided. You wouldn't have been able to guess that she was the same little kitty that I found limp and lethargic on the side of the road. I could barely keep up with her newfound energy and playfulness..

We can't have inside pets, and I knew she needed to be inside because of the blindness. But it just so happened that a local animal rescue organization was having a pet adoption fair this past weekend and told me to bring her. So I did..... and to my heart's delight, a young married couple fell in love with her there, and adopted her on the spot.

A small miracle, that reminded me about hope.....

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is so touching. I have chills. I just covered a Humane Society event on Saturday and learned a lot about it and was so impressed with the organization and the dedication of the volunteers.

I hadn't stopped thinking about this kitty and you crying and I'm so glad to know the rest of the story.

christianne said...

i love this story!! seriously, you gripped my heart the whole time reading about this (and the picture didn't help -- she is SO CUTE!). thanks for sharing, blue! you have such a tender heart, and so does this little kitty. i'm glad she found a great home and survived -- that little girl was somehow born to thrive, huh? too bad we all can't hear regular updates on this little one.

Rachel said...

I'm so glad you saved this poor kitten. It's so cute. People are so cruel to do things like this to poor defenseless animals. Makes me so mad!!

Bless you for saving her and bless those folks for adopting her!

Sarah said...

What a beautiful story...and a darling kitty. I'm so glad she has a home (I accidentally wrote "hope" the first time, which is also right)...and that your tears redeemed her, in a way. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this story, that in the midst of some horrible things we do in this world, Christ cares for the helpless.

Anonymous said...

I'm so relieved to know that there's a happy ending to this story. She certainly looks like she's got a new lease on life in this picture! I guess she just used one of her nine lives and is now onto another :-)

kirsten said...

blue, thank you so much for sharing this, especially in the wake of the last post. your story gripped my heart, especially considering how it touched yours, how this litten kitten unlocked a place in your tender heart.

i'm so glad someone had compassion and took little miss piggy home. she may be small, delicate, & she is starting out her young life with challenges a lot of the other kittens don't have ... but i think she's already proven she's fierce & strong & utterly lovable.

thank you for the update!!

Anonymous said...

Ahhh...a happy ending. Thanks for giving us the rest of the story Blue.

photowannabe said...

Touching story with a happy ending. Thanks for sharing it with us. I think your tenderness had real healing power on that little kitten.

L.L. Barkat said...

Sweet, sweet little one.

On another note... I think I'm going to have a dulcimer made for my Littlest. For her birthday. Which is July. But it will take about 5 months for the man to make it. I sent him your music link to help him understand what I'm looking for. He said you strum like Jane Ritchie (sp? right name?).

Btw, what kind of dulcimer do you have? Besides hourglass... How many strings? Concert? Wood? You know, stuff like that.

bluemountainmama said...

l.l.- yes, jean ritchie.....she's considered the 'mother' of the mountain dulcimer.... hails from KY, my home state. my music hero. :)

and my dulcimer is wooden, 4 string, and hourglass shaped. my mom bought it in missouri. it was her first one and she gave it to me when i moved away from home. don't know about the concert part. i've never heard of a concert dulcimer.

you'll have to send me a picture when you have the finished product. i'd love to see it.

L.L. Barkat said...

Thanks! I'll show you a link when we pick the style and decorations out. :)

ELLOUISESTORY said...

Found you this morning - what a gift to start the day with your touching story - pure gift.

RearVuMirr said...

I felt so sad & angry when I started reading the story ~ so delighted it had a happy ending!

TUC said...

Just think, your compassion and your tears saved this little life that then became a belated wedding gift.