Name: Willow
Gender: Female
Kind: rescued kitty
Home: Los Angeles, CA

Willow's Story - this is the long but touching version as it was told in my many diary entries. I hope it will make you smile.

10/03/05

It was 10 in the morning, the second day of the movie shoot, on location in downtown Los Angeles. This was also the second day of the big Chatsworth fires and the temperature was already at least 95 degrees and climbing when Todd heard the mewing coming up from the alleyway between the old red-brick buildings. He peeked out the window and saw a little patch of grey fur dragging itself lamely down the alley, mewing as loud as its tiny lungs possibly could. Todd had to go through six different people from the building the shoot was in and the building next door to get the big padlocked gate which blocked off the alleyway opened so he could slip in and scoop up the kitten, saving it from certainly being baked in the hot sun.

Of course everyone squealed and fawned over the little kitty when Todd brought it inside, but the squeals faded to expressions of sadness when they soon discovered that her little back legs didn't work, they were just floppy and she apparently had never had use of them in her short little life. But yet she tried to motor around, dragging them behind her, her big round eyes curious and full of feistiness.

This is when Bryn, the director, aka my boyfriend, called me at home asking me to look up the local animal shelter, telling me only that they had found a kitten that couldn't walk and surely would have to be taken in. A short bit later, numbers and addresses in hand, I showed up. He asked if I had seen the kitty and I said no, and that I really didn't want to. I was expecting, from the tiny bit of info I had, to see a mangled, dirty, half-crushed kitten who needed to be put down and my heart certainly wasn't up for that on this hot Thursday morning. I wandered into the kitchen where most of the crew was hanging out having bagels and coffee and said hi to everyone. Kari, the assistant production manager and a friend of mine asked me if I had seen the kitty yet and as I said no a little grey head popped up from between the miniature cereal boxes and bagels. I squealed. She was so cute. Those huge slate-blue saucer-eyes looked at me and I melted. Once I realized her will to live and her energy I knew this kitty, back legs or no, would not be going to the pound.

We all started calling everyone we knew (in the movie biz there are a lot of soft-hearted animal rescue types) determined to find someone who could adopt her or find her a home. Unfortunately there were few return calls due to the rescue operation with the Chatsworth fires. Everyone on the set wanted to adopt her but all of us already had 3 to 5 rescue cats of our own at home. As the day went on she had earned the name Drag Queen (for obvious reasons) and had become the shoot mascot and a furry little bit of sanity in the scorching heat. She would slide around on the floor, legs behind her. The strange thing was that she could twitch her tail around, which made us wonder if she wasn't really paralyzed like we had thought.

One of the actresses, Cindy, came in and proclaimed her love and vowed to take her home. She had many rescues at home and said she would take care of her. We were a bit wary, not of the actress or her care but of the fact that this was a special-needs kitty and the general concern was that this kitten needed a human with a no-cat or one-cat home who could commit the time she needed. Cindy and her boyfriend were set to take her home after her scene was done for the movie.

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.

After a quick trip back to the different location we were shooting at that day (Friday) the decision had been made that Bryn and I would keep her for awhile and give it a try, that perhaps we could help this little furball to have a better life and a good home. We actually had the next couple of weeks fairly open with no scheduled shoots or travel so this was a good time. We took her home, fixed her up a little kitty corner in the spare office/makeup room with pillows and towels and the kitty carrier, gave her a wee dish of water and some soggified dry kitten food.

She has an amazing appetite, drinks plenty of water and is active as could be. She is pooping and peeing pretty normally, however a litter box is a foreign object so far. We have been sitting in her room for hours each day, working her wobbly back legs and teaching her to stand... and you know what? As of today, Sunday, she can stand on all four legs pretty well, can curl her back toes and claws and actually makes the occasional try at a step. She tries (sort of and from far away) to scratch her itchy ears but just doesn't have the muscles to reach them. She has discovered that she can push up to climb over things. There is still a lot of progress to be made, she doesn't yet understand how to step forward, but we are working on it - after all it is only day 3 of kitten-therapy.

We have to keep her separated from the other cats since the kitten is too young for all her vaccinations and tests like Feline Leukemia. Our five are curious and jealous. Especially Basil and Julius, the kittens of the group. Boo really couldn't care less. Tweek is pissy as all hell and is being cranky to everyone who gets in her way, human or animal. We try to shower them with extra love too but are routinely given the cold shoulder. Buster the scruffy old dog sniffs at her then gives us the "oh, not another cat" look. The kitten thinks Buster is pretty neat though and likes to play in his tail, much to Buster's dismay.

10/08/05

For those of you who are asking about little Willow the kitten - she is doing fine! She is walking, albeit a bit wobbly, but actually taking STEPS after only a week of steroids and therapy and love. She is spoiled rotten and we have only had her a week.

She went to the vet today and to get a check up and her first kitten shots. The vet has reduced her steroids and the therapy continues. Before we know it she will be running all over causing trouble. She is still completely fearless, goes with us in the car on errands and was even standing on the dash of the car while we were driving on the freeway.

It is amazing that after one week this little kitten that couldn't walk AT ALL is now cruising around pretty normal. It fact as I type this she is trying to attack my fingers on the keyboard. Good kitty.

12/12/05

Willow the kitten is a holy terror.

Today I am scanning ID's and printing model releases - Willow is helping (by standing ON the scanner). Eli (Bryn) is printing 8x10's and putting together his new editing system - she is helping him too. Ink jet printers are especially fascinating. So are the Styrofoam cups that Quizno's puts their to-go soup in (that was an hour of entertainment). Did you know the quickest way onto the desk is to climb the leg of the person sitting in the chair? We gave Satan the gift of legs.

1/24/06

Willow the kitten is coming up on 6 months old, give or take. She is growing like a little weed. Her favorite hobbies include swatting at moving things on my computer screen, climbing straight up my leg, going for rides in the car (she goes with us to my internet radio show, "Kylie Live" on KSEXRadio.com every week) and just generally being a terror. She doesn't talk much, she's not much of a mewer, and she rarely purrs. Well, not for us anyways - she only purrs when she is loving on her dog, Buster. She adopted Buster, the smelly old dog, when she was a kitten, much to his dismay, and follows him everywhere, maybe she thinks he is her mother. Willow tries to sleep with him, and when she rubs on him purring, poor old cranky Buster just rolls his eyes.

She loves playing all rough and tumble with her adopted "brothers" Basil and Bantu and they are very good at playing gently with her - unfortunately at all hours of the day and night. She also loves playing in the shopping bags when we come back from the store and empty soda boxes are pretty neat too - like little houses.

Willow has her very own little pink collar, with her name and phone number on it and a little rhinestone charm that says "princess" - kinda says it all doesn't it? Such a spoiled little girl.

Willow has been known on more than one occasion to steal your dinner, even if it is a steak that weighs more than she does. Growling her fiercest little growl as she drags it away.

But for all the trouble she is she has made Bryn and I smile a lot - and when the shit hits the fan, or we have a bad day, there is wee-Willow kitten, there doing something kitten-y that lifts our spirits. It's like someone said "you are going to be going through some shit - here have a kitten", and things suddenly aren't that bad anymore.