Once Upon…

A cold and snowy morning in the dead of a harsh, cold, Chicago winter, just three days before Christmas day, I was rushing to take my daughter to school. I locked my front door and as I turned around and looked down from my front porch, there were three wet, cold, and hungry kittens sitting under a parked car. They were looking right at me, crying out as though they knew that of all the people living on my block, I would be the one to take them in and care for them. Upon first sight these three little guys made my heart melt and I slowly went down the steps to approach them.

And Then There Was One…

The first kitten that walked right up to me

One of the gray and white kittens walked over to me, tip-toeing through the snow and meowing uncomfortably the whole way. He circled my boots, brushing up against them. I began walking back up the stairs towards my apartment and the kitten more than happily obliged to follow me, right through my front door. When I went back for the others they were gone. The man who’s car they were under had come to leave for work. I felt terrible, not knowing where the poor little kittens had run off to. I searched the block and looked under each car, but found nothing.

At this point, I gave up on the others thinking it was just not meant to be. I called a friend to see if she wanted the kitten. She was more than happy to take it but wouldn’t be able to pick it up until Christmas Eve. I made a veterinary appointment to have the kitten checked out and make sure it was good for adoption.

The Return of the Kittens…

Later on that day as I was leaving the house to go to the vet, opening the door to my apartment I saw the two other kittens under a car parked in front. I coerced them into my apartment with food and into a pet carrier. We were off to the vet…

Once we arrived at the animal hospital the veterinarian weighed each of the worried, meowing kitties. They were wet, dirty, and smelly. While there, my allergies began to take over me. My eyes began itching incessantly and I was sneezing and coughing uncontrollably. This was going to be rough. I knew that I needed to get these kittens adopted immediately.

The veterinarian took them to have their nails cut, bathed, and dewormed. They were given the thumbs up for adoption, and  I received news that upon careful inspection, the three kittens were all boys! They were estimated to be 8 weeks and all from the same litter. I felt like a proud mama as Dr. Schnitker had me come into the back to take a peek at the boys drying up from their baths in a warmer. The staff at The Animal Medical Center of Chicago took amazing care of the kittens and were so helpful. I couldn’t have ended up at a better place.

two of the kittens after their bath

We soon left the vet and made our way back to my apartment. One of these little guys already had a home, but the other two still needed to be placed. I text a few friends, posted on facebook and twitter, and yet no one replied. An ad on craigslist got a few interested individuals who once I contacted, were more aloof then anything and not serious about wanting a kitten. I began to get concerned because my allergies had me nearly incapacitated. I was losing sleep because I couldn’t breath, and the discomfort was beginning to be unbearable; there was no escape. I had now become the alpha mother cat to the kittens, being that I had saved them from the harsh cold, filled their little bellies with food, and gave them a warm place to sleep. They were immensely grateful, and showed it to me by cuddling on top of me, and climbing up the couch to lay next to my head. Being the animal lover I am, I couldn’t help but show these babies affection, even through my watery eyes, sneezing, and coughs.

 

 

 

 

 

By this time I had found a home for another kitten. A co-worker of mine came to pick him up. She told me that he was going to be a gift to her four nieces. I was holding one for my friend that would be coming to get him the next day, but there was one left. The morning of Christmas Eve, I woke up knowing that I needed to find the last little guy a home asap. I sent a mass text to everyone I knew asking them if they, or someone they knew wanted a kitten. Not long after, a friend of mine replied saying that she’d take him if no one else did. I replied saying, “He’s yours!” She came to get him that afternoon.

The First and The Last…

The last kitty left with me was the first one that made it’s way right into my apartment. He was the first to come and the last to go. When my friend came to get him, I was quite relieved and a bit sentimental. Yet, I was happy to know that each kitten would be spending Christmas with their new families.

Each kitty is now settling into his new home :)

 

Gilbert and his owner Cordell

Maxwell and his owner Eli

Louie on his way to the new family

Merry Christmas!

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