Kitten Rescue

Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. Psalm 71:2 (NIV)

I love cats, but my husband is allergic to them. Someday, I will figure out a way to bring cats back into my life again, but not now. Today, I had to stay at work late for a film crew taking video of the park for our county’s tourism website. The crew discovered a tiny kitten, a tortoiseshell, only a day or two old, with its eyes still tightly closed. It was tucked up under the historical park’s sign all alone. Not making a sound, barely breathing. A nurturer at heart, I wrestled with what to do. I told the crew to leave it alone and maybe the mother would come back for it. I promised to come back later and check on it. As I was getting ready to leave, I told myself I was not taking that kitten home even as I gathered a box and some towels. It was still there, and I could not bring myself to leave it there to die over the weekend. I tucked it into the towels and drove to Tractor Supply to get some kitten formula and a bottle. Along the way, I called all the cat people I know to ask advice, but no one offered to bail me out. I joked that maybe someone in Tractor Supply would take pity on the kitten. But, I was resigned to at least trying to save it before watching it die. I was standing in line with the bottle and formula when a woman and her little girl got behind me. The woman asked what I had and I confessed I didn’t even know if the kitten was alive. She checked, said it was and then, started asking me questions. When she figured out I had no clue what to do, she began giving advice. The nipple had to be scrubbed out well or bacteria would kill the kitten. The kitten needed a hot water bottle, but not a heating pad or it would die. The kitten needed to be nursed every few hours and not touched too often or it might die. You get the picture. So did she when she saw the petrified look on my face and I confided that my husband is allergic to cats. That’s when her daughter said, “Mom…” The woman’s face softened, but she said, “Honey, I would, but I don’t have any money to pay for that stuff.” I could see we were on the verge of a deal. I offered to pay for the supplies and she agreed to take the kitten and try to save it. She laughed and said, “I just came in to by my daughter a riding crop.” Feeling great relief, I said, “Put that crop up here and let me pay for it.” I told her how grateful I was for her rescue. She and her daughter went happily off eager to help the kitten, and I went off thanking God for putting her in line behind me!