Sucker for a Cute (and Lost) Kitten

First it was Roscoe, the kitten (now cat) the kids fell in love with and had to take home from the cabin. Then it was Patches the very large (can cats be obese?) cat we took in to help a friend whose aunt had to get rid of the cat before moving into a nursing home. Now it’s the mystery cat – we call he/her Oscar – but that will all be determined this afternoon at the vet.

I discovered the latest feline addition to the household on Sunday. Walking through the park with Duke, I saw what I thought was a crow sitting atop a garbage can. I did a double-take because it made some very un-crow like movements. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a very bedraggled kitten (an older kitten – but not full grown). He/she looked awful – very thin and dirty/wet. I held out my hand and the kitten kind of nuzzled me. I was able to pick her up and put her on the ground without a fight. She/he even touched noses with Duke as he inspected the smelly little mess.

Long story short – the humane society seemed out of the question as the kitten looked very unadoptable – and we feared the worse. So –he/she has been living in our garage since Sunday. The vet recommended separation from the other cats until we can check out her/his health. We take the cat to the vet this afternoon where we will be scanning it for a microchip – which would make things very easy.

Oh yeah – we gave it a bath. She was pretty stinky so that had to be done. Thinking ahead, I wore rubber gloves during the bathing. The gloves came out of the bath slightly shredded – but I only received two big scratches on my arms so they provided some protection.

It eats like a horse! We only feed twice a day, and this one immediately cleans out the bowl where we combine what seems like copious rations of both wet and dry food.