It all started when my friend called me with the news that she had rescued this tiny, malnourished kitten who had decided that the middle of the road was a good place for a nap. Being the kindhearted soul that she is, my friend scooped up the creature and headed to her veterinary facility. There, the vet took care of the fleas which were so bad that they caused flea anemia and checked her out for feline leukemia. Being negative for that hurdle, the vet began proceedings to feed and medicate this poor little gal. Oh, yes. That was found out, too. Well, she who will be named later stayed at that facility for the next 7 days. In the meantime, my friend called me to ask whether I would be interested in adopting this little girl. I emphatically said that one cat was enough for me for now. I just as emphatically called her back to say OK. I guess I'm a
My family is 1. Me and 2. Chloe the Feral Cat (whom I can't get to the vet because she can't be caught to be put in a carrier.) That's another story.
Back to kitty. My friends stayed for an hour or two while I bonded with my new charge. All was going smoothly. They left and I continued to bond. A cousin came to visit and introduce herself to kitty no name. We had a nice visit and kitty became more animated and even volleyed a wrapped candy (I had no cat toys) around for a bit. My cousin left and I began normal life, checking out sites on the computer and letting kitty do whatever. Well, "whatever" turned weird quickly. I heard a long, low growl from the living room and immediately assumed that Chloe had decided to introduce herself to kitty. I must admit that I immediately began to yell for Chloe to stop whatever she was doing and rushed in to help kitty. No Chloe. Just kitty...writhing under a chair, attached to the carpet by her claws. I went to unattach her and found my hands covered in... well, poop! I took kitty to the bathroom and got her cleaned and noticed drool, so I wiped that up as well. Kitty pretty much did not want anything to do with me when she calmed down so I left her while I cleaned up. Not an hour later she repeated her performance in the kitchen, this time acting as though she was the pinball in a pinball machine. Unfortunately, Chloe was hiding from her nearby and bolted "outa" there not to be seen again for about 18 hours as it turned out. I quickly cleaned her and put her in the cat carrier. Long story short, (I know- too late for that) kitty had seizures all throughout the night. It was painful to hear and watch. By morning, she had lost the use of her back legs.
All night I knew what I would be doing when 9 a.m. rolled around. I knew the best thing for kitty would be to end her suffering, so I called my vet to make arrangements to do so.
This would be the third cat I brought in to the vet for that purpose. The other two being Lucas and Abby who had developed tumors that demanded I end their suffering as well. That's the down side of having pets. Losing them is so painful. Even kitty, whom I knew for about 21 hours, had my heart.
I cried as the assistant filled out the paperwork. "Does she have a name?" I was asked. It was only then that I named her Amazing Grace.
