Kittens are fragile

[fatrockstar]

A few days ago I mentioned I was going to adopt a kitten. I used the term loosely, mainly because the circumstances were unique and I wasn't sure how it was going to pan out.

The "adoption" ended on a sad but anticipated note that was not the fault of anyone but mother nature herself. Some things cannot be controlled, only prepared for.

I was doing my standard "flist surf" on LiveJournal when I came across an entry describing a newborn kitten. The mother cat had a history of neglecting her kittens and the owner was not looking forward to watching more kits die. He just didn't have it in him to try to nurse another, and it didn't seem fair to put his partner through the heartbreak that would inevitably follow. They were going to try anyway, regardless. That's when I decided to try and contact them.

Luckily the LJ account was a paid one, so I sent a note to his LJ moniker. It took a day for him to respond. I answered a lot of questions (hey, I'm just a stranger with barely a shoestring of social contacts in common, I expected it) and my offer was accepted late Thursday afternoon. They were unable to travel in the snow so I offered to make a pickup. Phone numbers and addresses were exchanged and I made plans to take formula and a carrier to their home to gather the kitten after my 9 a.m. audit.

At 7 a.m. on Friday I checked my email and learned the kitten had not survived the night. He was just too small and fragile. I offered my condolences and sent some warm thoughts in their direction. It was very sad.

I knew it would be hard to give so much to such a helpless creature but I couldn't not offer, given my current state of mind. There was a good chance the kitten would have died in my care, but not from lack of trying. Maybe what the little guy really needed was his mother's love and not so much food or heat. I don't know.

I believe things happen for a reason. People and events cross our paths to educate us about the world and ourselves. On some level the kitten's passing had something to teach everyone involved. I have a pretty good idea what it's trying to tell me.

Comments

[veiltail.livejournal.com]

Poor sweet kitty. It was nice of you to offer. I once adopted a kitten who was later eaten by their family dog (no joke). I still miss him. I don't know what the lesson was for you as you say, but hopefully you will get a kitty soon.

[winifred.livejournal.com]

I think it had something to do with a couple of filtered posts I made yesterday and earlier in the week. While I'm sad the kitten died, I don't think I'll look for another. Grady wouldn't appreciate that.

I figured I'd be able to care for this kitten until it was thriving and then see if we'd be able to keep him or the original owners wanted him back. He was teeny enough not to be a threat to Grady, and if he was, the older cat would give him plenty of space.

[jbluemoon.livejournal.com]

Poor little baby is not suffering any more.
He really should not even come into this world so hopefully that person with the neglectful mother cat will get her spayed ASAP!


sorry to jump onto a soapbox, but I really love cats.

[winifred.livejournal.com]

I got the impression from other entries in their LJ that the neglectful mother cat is indoor/outdoor tough to catch -- their other cats have been fixed, so that's one fast pussy! (haha)

[niroc.livejournal.com]

When our Minoes (RIP) had her kittens, she didn't seem to want to care for them either. So we literally forced the pair on her, and she did care for them enough to survive those critical six weeks. One of them did die after a few days, we're still not sure what caused it, the poor thing had been dragged by it's umbellical (don't mind the spelling lol) cord by Minoes, so that's probably what did it for the little one.
The other one's still with us today and doing fine. Since we've had the new youngling (we got one as a present after Minoes died several weeks ago), she's calmed down a lot too, after being the kitten from hell, she's turned into the caring mama-cat...
Strange how these things go.

[skwairpeg.livejournal.com]

Hi. So sorry the kitten didn't make it. I lost two that I was trying to save when I was at the shelter, and it was heartbreaking. Sometimes they just aren't built to last. The mother could be ill... we had a leukemia positive cat when I was a kid (didn't know she was sick until later) who had several litters (my mom wasn't responsible about speutering) that died. Looking back now I know it was because they were sick, too. Anyway, hugs...