KITTIES!!!!!
/My driver's license expires soon so I headed to the DMV this morning to renew. As I walked in, there was an extremely friendly calico outside the glass door. She meowed and purred and rubbed against anyone's legs she could as they walked in. I bent over and gave her a thorough head scratch before heading in.
Once inside, I watched as the cat stood up against the glass door, pawing at the glass and meowing to get our attention.
"Poor kitty, she's hungry," said one woman.
"And pregnant," said another.
"Pregnant?" I asked.
Everyone in the room nodded and pointed out her belly to me which, I now noticed, was quite distended.
"Is she a stray?" I asked. People shrugged. She wasn't a wild cat--she was much too people friendly for that. There was a large lot behind the DMV where some wild cats lived and I suspected someone had just dropped her. My blood boiled. I loathe people who aren't kind to animals.
When it my turn at the counter, I asked the DMV guy if he knew anything about the cat. He too, shrugged. "She's been here for a few days. Keeps trying to get inside."
I called my vet from the DMV. "There's a pregnant stray cat here," I said. "If I bring her in, will you all take care of her?"
Not quite. For some reason the police either have to bring in strays or have to call in permission for people to bring in strays. Fine. I called the police department and told them the scenario. They agreed to call me into the vet.
Getting the cat into my car was a piece of cake. She was dying for attention and seemed happy just to be near me.
She wasn't shy at the vet's either, crawling around the counters and trying to get to the computers to check out the screens. They put a nametag around her, "Calico Cat," and I wished her luck and left.
That was at 11 this morning. I just got a call from the doctor (it's 4:15 pm) that the cat has delivered 2 kittens and 6-8 more appear to be on the way. And would I be interested in taking any of them home?
I called my husband at work. "Can we adopt 8 kittens?" I asked.
"No."
"But they're sort of mine."
"No."
I know he's right. And the truth is, I don't want the kittens. I want the mommy cat. She was so sweet, and so trusting. And beautiful - deep orange and black and white markings.
I know we can't have her. And I'm desperately hoping someone adopts her. She's just full of love. I'm going to visit her and the kittens this week. My husband thinks this is a mistake. That it will make it that much harder to walk away.
I'm sure he's right. But I feel responsible toward her now. And I'm soooooo grateful we got her to the vet just in time to deliver. I shudder to think of her stuck in some field with it getting ready to storm here, trying to deliver these kittens with little to no food or water. Makes me almost cry just thinking of it.
I'm so going to visit that cat. How can I not??
Once inside, I watched as the cat stood up against the glass door, pawing at the glass and meowing to get our attention.
"Poor kitty, she's hungry," said one woman.
"And pregnant," said another.
"Pregnant?" I asked.
Everyone in the room nodded and pointed out her belly to me which, I now noticed, was quite distended.
"Is she a stray?" I asked. People shrugged. She wasn't a wild cat--she was much too people friendly for that. There was a large lot behind the DMV where some wild cats lived and I suspected someone had just dropped her. My blood boiled. I loathe people who aren't kind to animals.
When it my turn at the counter, I asked the DMV guy if he knew anything about the cat. He too, shrugged. "She's been here for a few days. Keeps trying to get inside."
I called my vet from the DMV. "There's a pregnant stray cat here," I said. "If I bring her in, will you all take care of her?"
Not quite. For some reason the police either have to bring in strays or have to call in permission for people to bring in strays. Fine. I called the police department and told them the scenario. They agreed to call me into the vet.
Getting the cat into my car was a piece of cake. She was dying for attention and seemed happy just to be near me.
She wasn't shy at the vet's either, crawling around the counters and trying to get to the computers to check out the screens. They put a nametag around her, "Calico Cat," and I wished her luck and left.
That was at 11 this morning. I just got a call from the doctor (it's 4:15 pm) that the cat has delivered 2 kittens and 6-8 more appear to be on the way. And would I be interested in taking any of them home?
I called my husband at work. "Can we adopt 8 kittens?" I asked.
"No."
"But they're sort of mine."
"No."
I know he's right. And the truth is, I don't want the kittens. I want the mommy cat. She was so sweet, and so trusting. And beautiful - deep orange and black and white markings.
I know we can't have her. And I'm desperately hoping someone adopts her. She's just full of love. I'm going to visit her and the kittens this week. My husband thinks this is a mistake. That it will make it that much harder to walk away.
I'm sure he's right. But I feel responsible toward her now. And I'm soooooo grateful we got her to the vet just in time to deliver. I shudder to think of her stuck in some field with it getting ready to storm here, trying to deliver these kittens with little to no food or water. Makes me almost cry just thinking of it.
I'm so going to visit that cat. How can I not??
