Love For Kittens

My friend Kim found a kitten along side of the road on her way to our house. The kitten somehow managed to push open the box and climb out the window while we were in the house. We looked everywhere but couldn’t find her. We figured she ran away and there was really nothing else we could do. She was no where to be found… until the next morning when Kevin started his truck for work. CLUNK!

She was in the fan. She came hobbling out, broken, bleeding, and scared. He managed to scoop her up and put her in the carrier for me to take to the vet. I ended up having to take her to work with me because none of the vets opened until 9. It happened at 7:20. It was the longest hour ever! At 9 a.m. AVH Veterinary Hospital in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania agreed to see her right away.

The break went through the upper growth plate which means that it’s hard to splint and immobilize without surgery BUT they managed to do it. She lost a claw & a small piece of her paw. Her ear, tail and other paws were all cut but luckily not all of them needed sutures.

She was approximately 10-weeks-old and weighed 2 1/2 pounds.

She is the sweetest, most lovable kitten. She purrs the minute you touch her. She snuggles up to your chin and sleeps in your arms. She cries to be held. She will have a cast for at least four weeks and there is no guarantee that it will work, but we are hoping for the best outcome.

We decided to name her Lucy McGillicutty from I Love Lucy because she is a redhead that gets herself into trouble and we LOVE her.

It was about six years ago. Groucho was one of the kittens left by their mother in my beautiful yard.

I never had a cat before, I had never been close to a cat before, and at the time, I couldn’t afford to have any pets. I was just starting my own life. Groucho and his siblings were growing up, and after a few months, they left my yard.

But, one day, Groucho came to my yard and he wanted to get into the house. I was surprised, but I let him in anyway. The same thing kept happening for days. I didn’t understand what he wanted, but after a few days, I started to share a little food that I had with him.

After a while, I found a job and started to buy him a proper cat food. I didn’t consider him mine for a few months of our life together. Now, I think it was because he seemed to be very independent. Maybe he adopted me, not the other way around.

Unfortunately, just when I was very much in love with him, I found out that he was very sick – his diaphragm was broken. The vet strongly recommended keeping Groucho inside the house for the rest of his life. That was for three more years.

He was sick for a week before he was gone, but I've never forgotten him, the way he asked for attention , the way he commanded me, my husband and other cats, the way he decided to live with me, the way he complained when I told him no, the day he brought me a locust, the day he listened to my instructions on how to come down from the roof... All of that is in my heart and will be forever.

I’m grateful to Groucho for showing me how great it was to have him. He was always there, sitting next to me and looking through the window.