Rescue

Today the womanchild rescued a kitten. He had gotten stuck in the engine of a car parked in the parking lot at the strip mall where I work. She and a few others heard it crying, and together the group worked to get it out. C. was the only one small enough to get under the car and reach up and get the kitten. After a trip to the vet, where it was pronounced in decent health and probably suffering from kitty PTSD, the kitty joined our home at least for awhile. Right now, none of the other cats are too impressed. The three kittens ignore him. The momma cat hisses at him, and the dogs, who generally like kittens (particularly the one who looks more border collie than lab), terrify him.

He allowed C. to feed him. He fought a badly needed bath. She was surprised to find he was orange instead of gray. It's still going to take a couple more baths to get the rest of the oil from his coat. After that he immediately hid. It took C. quite awhile to find him.

When I got home from work, the first thing I wanted to do was see the new kitty. She handed him to me, and I sat down and put him on my lap. He immediately crawled to my breasts and soon fell asleep. After a little while, he woke up and started one of the richest purrs I've ever heard in such a little cat. The vet estimates he's about six weeks old. Apparently he's quite taken with me. He'll get up to explore a little and then come back and settle in right over my heart to nap again.

It feels good. He's adorable in a goofy cat kind of way, and he's still very scared until he crawls up on me. I don't feel good for much in this world right now, but I make a comfortable resting place for a small, scared kitty. It may be a little thing, but it's something, and tonight, it's enough.