Tuesday, July 15, 2008

One Born Every Minute

This Saturday past, I rose and began to get ready for a day spent in the Enrichment Department at the Zoo. However, Tag mentioned that he would not be coming along, for he was going with a co-worker to rescue some kittens he had heard about during the week.

Um... more kittens? More sleepless nights spent worrying about underweight, parasite infested little balls of fluff? More countless hours indulging favorite games like "Bite the hand that's feeding" and "Attack Mommie's Toes"? I'm totally IN!

And thus, I tagged along with Boy and his friend. Co-worker has known the kitty rescue woman for a bit of time now, and while she's well intentioned, she just doesn't have the resources and time to handle the amount of feline activity that crosses her path in her South Central neighborhood. So, although we went with the intention of only rescuing 2 black males, approximately 12 weeks old.... we ended up with 4 total. 3 blacks (all brothers) and one teeny ragdoll looking mess that was desperately in need of de-fleaing, de-worming, and all around recovery. I'm told the baby is 8 - 9 weeks old, but it is only as large as a healthy 5-week old, and the non-stop diarrhea hasn't helped. Welcome Kitty Boys to Chez Yummy.

Day 4 and I'm pleased to say that all are doing better. The big boys were standoffish at first, but now will gladly barrel you over with snuggles when you greet them in the morning. The little one is healing at a slower rate, but showing great progress. I'm working on photos, but it is challenging to get young cats to move slower than the speed of light.

Originally, the woman was calling one of the boys "Superman" although it hardly seemed appropriate, given his size and demeanor. He does however make an awesome "Clark Kent", and thus the comic hero theme was born. Two of the blacks have tiny spots of white, but one is completely dark. Dubbed the "Dark Knight", we lovingly refer to him as "Master Bruce". Last is the largest and most aggressive of the pack. His killer instincts, lethal claws and Hugh Jackman good looks have earned him the name "Logan." The baby remains unnamed for a number of reasons... but I affectionately call it "Little Bug" or "The Itty Bitty."

I'd love to write more, but I hear 4 plaintive voices begging for the next bowl of moist yummy goodness. So excuse me while I push off to tend to my charges. As always, the cats are being adopted out through the non-profit Milo's Sanctuary. If you have any interest in these kittens, or are just looking to make a tax-deductible donation, please don't hesitate to check this out.

Happy Tuesday to you. May all your dreams be purry, warm and wonderful.

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