Little cats.
A note to whoever hurt the kitten that was living on my porch:
You suck. You really, really suck. I don't know if the vet was right and you kicked him in the face, or if something else happened, but if there's one thing this world doesn't need, it's people who willfully cause suffering, even in animals.
Josh went out to feed the cats that congregate on our screened-in front porch this morning (screened in being a loose term, as there are plenty of holes to allow cats to enter and exit) and came in to tell me that Eclipse, one of the kittens out there, had blood all over his face, one of his eyes swollen shut, and was having trouble breathing.
Now, we think Eclipse and his brother Sunrise were dumped by somebody on our porch in the first place, because they showed up suddenly one night, were both completely tame and didn't seem accustomed to living outside, and we found an unfamiliar cat toy on the porch at the same time. So bad enough that someone was abandoning these poor cats.
I called the vet and we took Eclipse in to see him. The vet said that it wasn't as bad as it looked, there was just a lot of swelling and he'd probably inhaled and swallowed some blood, so he'd be coughing up and maybe throwing up some of it. The only thing he's worried about is that he might have a jaw fracture, so for now he just gave Eclipse shots of antibiotic and cortisone to reduce the swelling, and after this weekend the vet will look at him again. For the time being the little guy is in a cage in our basement with a little bed and litterbox and food and we're checking in on him.
The vet said it looked like he had taken a blow to the face with some sort of blunt object. The injuries weren't the sort he'd get in a fight with another cat. It's possible he could have been hit by a car, except that he doesn't have any of the other injuries that would usually go along with that. The most likely thing that happened is that somebody kicked him in the face.
I took his brother to the cat shelter today, before someone could kick HIM, too. We were planning to take them both but we're keeping Eclipse to make sure he's gonna be okay. I feel so sorry for him - and so angry at people who desert animals and hurt them. These little guys were so friendly and trusting - they loved people, they wanted to be held and petted whenever we were near them. It was hard for me to say goodbye to Sunny, and it's probably going to be even harder to say it to Eclipse when he goes to the shelter. If he doesn't have a fractured jaw, that is - I don't know what, if anything, could even be done for him if that's the case, and I hope with all my heart it isn't broken.
I wish I could save all the cats in the world, but I know I can't. I wish I could save all the people, too.
You suck. You really, really suck. I don't know if the vet was right and you kicked him in the face, or if something else happened, but if there's one thing this world doesn't need, it's people who willfully cause suffering, even in animals.
Josh went out to feed the cats that congregate on our screened-in front porch this morning (screened in being a loose term, as there are plenty of holes to allow cats to enter and exit) and came in to tell me that Eclipse, one of the kittens out there, had blood all over his face, one of his eyes swollen shut, and was having trouble breathing.
Now, we think Eclipse and his brother Sunrise were dumped by somebody on our porch in the first place, because they showed up suddenly one night, were both completely tame and didn't seem accustomed to living outside, and we found an unfamiliar cat toy on the porch at the same time. So bad enough that someone was abandoning these poor cats.
I called the vet and we took Eclipse in to see him. The vet said that it wasn't as bad as it looked, there was just a lot of swelling and he'd probably inhaled and swallowed some blood, so he'd be coughing up and maybe throwing up some of it. The only thing he's worried about is that he might have a jaw fracture, so for now he just gave Eclipse shots of antibiotic and cortisone to reduce the swelling, and after this weekend the vet will look at him again. For the time being the little guy is in a cage in our basement with a little bed and litterbox and food and we're checking in on him.
The vet said it looked like he had taken a blow to the face with some sort of blunt object. The injuries weren't the sort he'd get in a fight with another cat. It's possible he could have been hit by a car, except that he doesn't have any of the other injuries that would usually go along with that. The most likely thing that happened is that somebody kicked him in the face.
I took his brother to the cat shelter today, before someone could kick HIM, too. We were planning to take them both but we're keeping Eclipse to make sure he's gonna be okay. I feel so sorry for him - and so angry at people who desert animals and hurt them. These little guys were so friendly and trusting - they loved people, they wanted to be held and petted whenever we were near them. It was hard for me to say goodbye to Sunny, and it's probably going to be even harder to say it to Eclipse when he goes to the shelter. If he doesn't have a fractured jaw, that is - I don't know what, if anything, could even be done for him if that's the case, and I hope with all my heart it isn't broken.
I wish I could save all the cats in the world, but I know I can't. I wish I could save all the people, too.