mew!

04-27-00

Work has sucked more than usual lately. (Hang with me, this is a happy entry, I promise.) The shelter is picking up lots of cats, and due to the spring season, many of them are pregnant. Due to the end of winter season, the shelter is suffering a respiratory infection epidemic. They bring in the momma cats, mom gets sick, mom has kittens, and everybody's sick. In the last three weeks, we've had four crates full of sick kittens to euthanize. So you can understand why I've been hating work lately.

When I came in yesterday there was another crate waiting. The worst part of all this is that Sherrie doesn't want the cats in the ICU, so she puts them in the back where I have to listen to them crying all day, sometimes for two or three days before Dr. Figaro puts them down. Imagine my negative thoughts card on those days.

Today! The crate from yesterday was still there, and the doctor told me this batch of kittens has been reprieved. Yay. I spent one of the best hours of my life feeding tiny kitties with a bottle. There's one orange one with a white face and white tummy (Orange Guy,) and two white ones with orange spots (Two Spot and Three Spot) and one white one with gray spots (Gray Spot.) My names, they are clever? There was a gray one with a white face, but he no make it last night. (Dead Guy.) Their eyes opened up today! Except for Dead Guy, of course.

One of the Cuban ladies, a friend of the Figaros, was there when we pulled out the baby kitties. She helped me feed them and then took them home with her. I was jealous. I knew I could never bring them home, but I did have to go into the office tonight at 9 and I could have fed them then. I know it's better that they're with her; it was just so funny when she was arguing, like she didn't want them. "They have to be fed every four hours!" she'd say. "I'll be here once more tonight, and they don't have to be fed after ten. I come in again at 8 tomorrow." "That's too long! I should take them." Dr. Figaro said, "Take them, si quiere, you can bring them back tomorrow...." Of course quiere, I don't think I 've ever seen her wanting anything more than she wanted to take those cats home with her. Good for her. Maybe I'll get to see them again tomorrow.

So,. anybody want a kitty? I'll save Three Spot for ya....