Unexpected kittenage.
For those who don't know me on Facebook or Google +, you won't have caught up with our becoming accidental guardians of an 8-9 week old little kitten on Friday, following my wonderful man stopping to pick up a kitten that was in the middle of the A48 at 8.30am on Friday morning. Now, for the record, the A48 into Cardiff is really busy at rush hour, with traffic moving at 50-60mph. And for anything to cross it, and actually end up in the middle of traffic is impressive.
So, when 2 little kittens were seen in the middle of it on Friday, it doesn't take too much to think that someone out there is a complete and utter bastard to the nth degree - he's convinced they'd been dumped there deliberately. Sadly one of the two didn't make it. pogona saw the ginger one alive for a couple of moments before it was killed by the car in front. They couldn't do anything. Pogona, however, did.
He stopped, and with the help of two men in the van behind him, who gave him a jumper and a small bag - and some antiseptic wipes for his bitten finger - he caught the little black kitten, and put her in the bag, before coming home with her, and us taking her to the vet. She was utterly, utterly terrified, a hissing and spitting ball of claws and fur and wide eyes and teeth. But she got checked out, was put under anaesthetic, as she needed a couple of stitches to a wound on her bottom, and we later picked her up and brought her back.
She's sat in one of our smaller rooms, shut away from the other cats, slowly getting her bearings, and we're making sure she's being fussed at least once a day, we're talking gently to her, and letting her know that there's more to life for a kitten than fear and pain. I've managed to cuddle her gently for about 10 minutes each time before she's been too spooked, and when we walked in earlier, she was sat on the back of a low armchair, the first time she's actually felt comfortable sat out in the open.
I'm not going to say oh, it'll be easy. It's not going to be. We need to teach this little one that humans can be kind, and loving and that she can trust some of them. But each day there is a little breakthrough, and if she continues this way, I think she'll get there.
So, when 2 little kittens were seen in the middle of it on Friday, it doesn't take too much to think that someone out there is a complete and utter bastard to the nth degree - he's convinced they'd been dumped there deliberately. Sadly one of the two didn't make it. pogona saw the ginger one alive for a couple of moments before it was killed by the car in front. They couldn't do anything. Pogona, however, did.
He stopped, and with the help of two men in the van behind him, who gave him a jumper and a small bag - and some antiseptic wipes for his bitten finger - he caught the little black kitten, and put her in the bag, before coming home with her, and us taking her to the vet. She was utterly, utterly terrified, a hissing and spitting ball of claws and fur and wide eyes and teeth. But she got checked out, was put under anaesthetic, as she needed a couple of stitches to a wound on her bottom, and we later picked her up and brought her back.
She's sat in one of our smaller rooms, shut away from the other cats, slowly getting her bearings, and we're making sure she's being fussed at least once a day, we're talking gently to her, and letting her know that there's more to life for a kitten than fear and pain. I've managed to cuddle her gently for about 10 minutes each time before she's been too spooked, and when we walked in earlier, she was sat on the back of a low armchair, the first time she's actually felt comfortable sat out in the open.
I'm not going to say oh, it'll be easy. It's not going to be. We need to teach this little one that humans can be kind, and loving and that she can trust some of them. But each day there is a little breakthrough, and if she continues this way, I think she'll get there.