Christmas Kittlet

As some of you know, there was an itty bitty kitten running around Steve & Ruth's holiday party a couple of weeks ago. Ruth said it was a stray, the weather was getting down to 30-ish degrees that night, kitty needed a home, and well with my habit of rescuing animals it was a no-brainer. I talked to Panther about the possibility of the Carmicals adopting this baby. Panther was reluctant and would have to check with Audrey, so in the meantime, I would take it home, keep it warm, feed it, and then take it to the vet on Monday. Almost immediately in the car, the kitten started behaving oddly, and I was a little scared it wasn't too healthy, so I made a beeline to the 24-hr. emergency Vet near Westgate. This baby was:

• 1.6 lbs;
• covered with fleas, and I'm talking big ones;
• infested with ear mites, and possibly worms (which is actually pretty normal for kittens);
• suffering from an upper respiratory infection;
• very dirty; and
• just 6 weeks old & a little boy

So, with an armful of meds and orders to again see a vet the following Monday, I went over to my parents' house. My mom has a variety of other pet supplies, so I thought I could load up on some additional items I'd need for that night & the next day. But once set up in the small bathroom downstairs at their house, this baby quickly fell asleep, so I decided to leave him there for the night.

The next day, as I headed over to pick him up, my sister Katie called & said that she was going to adopt him. Yay! This was his first Christmas, and he is such a sweet little baby. He's got one blue eye & one green eye, and the "red eye" effect of a camera flash had an interesting result!

His nose is still stopped up, and so he snorts a lot. He is also still very small (hence the term "Kittlet"). He has a stuffed polar bear toy that he's taken a liking to...it must look like his mama. He sleeps with it and massages it. Anyway, this is a good ending to the story of (yet another) holiday adoption. It's been exactly 5 years since I found my Lucy under very similar circumstances. And she makes me smile everyday.