It all started last week when Bonnie ( top photo) and I were working really, really hard at our storage unit. We were preparing for our "2nd Annual Tag Sale" and that day we were digging through organizing our treasures.
It was time to take a lunch break, as we had already put in a hard, sweaty 30 minutes, and needed nourishment. Preparing to head off to the nearest eatery, we noticed the most pitiful little creature at the end of the row of storage units.
It looked like a very old, sick cat struggling to walk in the heat of the day. By the time we reached it, it was on its side. Bonnie approached it first. I was hanging back like a chicken, afraid of what we were going to find. She said something about how "sunken in" it was, and with that the cat raised its head and started to repeatedly "meow". That's when I went over, too. We both realized it was a pretty young cat----terribly starved and weak, but purring and meowing and responding to our touches.
Bonnie headed to the office of the storage facility to find something for it to eat. I stayed behind with the cat. It was crawling all over me, still purring and meowing. Even in its near death state, it was trying so hard to hang in there. It was during that time that I realized it had been declawed. Oh my---what this poor thing must've been through during the time it was on its own without food---- without claws.
Bonnie returned with some very old ham-----the only thing available to feed the cat. It just went wild---gobbling up the little pieces---hardly taking breathes. She paced the amount the cat received and after some time, it was able to slow down and relax a bit. We got it to drink some water. . . . . .
And there we were, sitting on the asphalt with a very sick kitty, full of old ham, and trying figure out what to do with it.
Now Bonnie is a Cat Lover from the word GO. She has three house cats and several "stray" outdoor cats she cares for. The outdoor cats have just appeared over the years. She catches them and has them fixed, then feeds them. She is as tenderhearted as it comes. The problem with this kitty was it had no claws---- it needed to be an indoor cat for sure and she certainly did not need another one.
My heart was aching for this sweet, skinny, purring cat who kept looking longingly into my eyes.
I weakened and called my husband. After telling him all about it, he told me it was OK to take it to our vet and get it checked out.
The little bag of bones sat motionless on my lap during the ride to the vet's office. It was wrapped in my denim shirt, with just its head sticking out--looking at me with those sweet eyes. I know it knew I was its new mother. . . .we starting "meowing" back and forth to each other.
As the vet and his assistant unwrapped the little creature, they both just gasped a bit. It was so skinny and dehydrated that the vet was worried he might not be able to draw blood to check for feline leukemia. However, he did get blood AND unrine----it was amazing.
After waiting about 10 minutes, they called me back to the exam room and said the blood and urine looked OK. He continued the examination and felt it had a chance of surviving. They determined it was a female and she had already been spayed. She was scanned for a computer chip. They didn't find one. She was given a flea pill, a wormer, and a fluid IV.
I walked out of the door with a really weak and skinny cat and special food.
Here she was----settled in that first evening. Her looks were deceiving. She weighed 3lb 4oz. They guessed her to be 7-8 months old. Her little back and hip bones were covered with just her skin and fur. It was so upsetting to feel the boney ridge of her back. (I just noticed the box I put her in once held cans of tuna fish---how appropriate!) This was taken about four days later. She'd made two more trips to see the vet and had received two more IVs, a B12 shot and a cortizone shot. After the last trip, she really turned the corner as far as eating and drinking went. She has gotten perkier every day. I finally decided to name her. She's TWIGGY. A big hurdle was introducing her to the other two animals who also call this place home---my cat Frankie and my daughter's dog Izzie. They usually don't get along too well, but since the appearance of Twiggy, they seem to have joined forces. I isolated Twiggy for several days, but when she started feeling better, I slowly let her check out limited parts of her surroundings--which included the other critters. Frankie and Twiggy spent a great deal of time hissing at each other and Izzie did her usual thing of hopping and barking. However, as time went by, they've all adjusted pretty well and I think it's all going to work out just fine. There was one other little creature she needed to meet and of course, that was THE STONE RABBIT. She liked him right off the bat and gave him a little hug. THE STONE RABBIT welcomed her to her new home and told her she would fatten up real soon. Afterall, look how well he turned out! Dana PS Come back tomorrow and visit my Front Veranda, then go on over to visit Rhondi's Front Porch Party at Rose Colored Glasses!
