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10/03/2005: "Kitten-ey Goodness"

When we returned to the shoot, Cindy was still working but the little girlie-kitten was gone! Sharon, the production manager said someone from downstairs had come asking about her and took her. We were all a bit baffled by this. Cindy finished her scene and left. It was late that night, as we were wrapping the shoot for the day when a man brought her back to us and said that her momma was rejecting her and could we still find her a home? We of course, said yes, and the kitten came home with Bryn and I.

That night Bryn proclaimed that tomorrow I would take her to the vet and see what they had to say about her. That if she was going to live we could keep her for a week or two and find her a home. We agreed that although she had already stolen our hearts we couldn’t keep her – we have 5 rescue kitties of our own and a scruffy old dog. Not to mention that it wouldn’t be fair to the kitten since she obviously needed 24/7 love and care to bring her into a home where our schedules were erratic at best.




Kitten and I went to the vet at 2:00 in the afternoon; she rode happily and fearlessly in the seat next to me in a soft-sided kitty carrier with the top open. She is the most fearless kitten ever, not afraid of carriers, being moved, bright lights, lots of people – nothing. Just a whole lot of curiosity. When we got inside the vet’s office she wasn’t even afraid of the two big black barking mastiffs that were there for their check-up.

The veterinarian’s diagnosis: She is a girl (hey we weren’t sure!), about 5 weeks old and other than the floppy back legs and a small ear infection she seemed healthy. The vet proved there was feeling in her feet by the good, old-fashioned method of pinching them (she mewed!) and $108 worth of x-rays proved that she wasn’t paralyzed. The vet said it was more likely that in the womb that she had a pinched nerve that didn’t allow her back legs and muscles to develop properly. She was concerned with the quality of life a kitten who couldn’t walk would have; trouble being able to urinate/defecate properly, grooming and cleanliness trouble, problem with the legs being dragged and developing sores which could lead to gangrene. I had tears welling up in my eyes, not wanting to have to do the right thing and have this sweet thing put to sleep. But the vet then told me that she wouldn’t put her down yet, that perhaps with steroids and physical therapy the kitten could walk again, that she would recommend trying that for a week or two before making any decisions. She also added that her own kitten had a bad leg when she was little and she is now able to walk just fine.