So much for getting anything done today

I posted a lot of this little drama to Facebook, so if you've already seen it there, forgive me.

Last night, a tiny calico kitten decided we were the bestest humans ever and she definitely wanted to be our friends forever.  Umm, yeah.  Sorry puny-mew person, but I can't have any more cats.  And I went to bed feeling like the worst person ever, where I had nightmares about finding her little broken body in the road this morning.

She made it through the night - probably because she hung out in Max's winter residence.  First thing, she announced her presence and her need for foods.  So, I pointed out the food I'd just put out for the strays.  Needless to say, she dove right in.  Okay, so I fed her.  And took responsibility for this itty bitty feline.  Which meant getting the cat carrier so she'd be safe and warm, opening a can of Fancy Feast (the kibbles took the edge off, but didn't do the trick, because she inhaled the wet food), and starting the round of calls to find her a home.

I called my vet and left a message.  After which, the kid tells me she's pretty sure she heard from someone that the Doc was on vacation.  Great.  When I took the Kid to work, I stopped by his office just to make sure, and his truck wasn't there.  Plus, all his lights were off in the office.  Crap.

So we went back home.  I made a few more calls.  According to the chick at the police department, they 'don't do cats' and never have.  When I told that was funny because I've had them pick up cats before, she passed me off to an officer, who said they don't officially pick up cats, but they have people they can call.  He said he makes some calls and get back to me.

I made a few more calls and then got the idea to talk to the gals at my local grocery store.  No luck there.  Went to the dollar store.  No luck there.  Stopped by the old folks village because I know the manager, and she knows everyone.  She said to talk to the gals in the ceramics class.  They didn't want any kittens, but one of them thought it might belong to her son.  She called.  No luck there.

Meanwhile, I bought kitten chow.  I also made an impromptu litter box and found an old pillow for her to sleep on inside the carrier.  Hurray, she's litter trained.  Loved the kitten chow.  And promptly fell asleep half on the pillow and half inside her food bowl.

The officer calls back.  His contacts only want adult cats who they can use in their barns.  He'll try a couple other places and call back.

My neighbor might know someone... she hasn't called back yet.

Finally, the phone rings.  It's the vet!!  Who promptly jerks my chain for ever thinking he'd get time for a vacation, especially when he has large potentially pregnant animals he needs to check every day.  Derp.  He tells me bring the kitten in.

I'd say long story short, but short went out the window several paragraphs ago.  Kitten - who I refuse to name because I CAN'T KEEP HER... but she's kind of Gingersnap in my head now - has an upper respiratory infection, ear mites and probably worms.  She needs antibiotics and drops in her ears daily. (She already got dewormed.)  I do not have time.  Aside from the fact that I can't have any more cats in the house, she's contagious and my other can't expose Kira and Max to a URI.  So, she's now staying at the lovely Shangri-La Suite at the veterinary clinic, where she will get excellent medical care from trained professionals and all the Fancy Feast she can eat.

I've already had one person offer to help financially, but I can afford this.  I'm taking it out of my book budget - and with my overflowing TBR pile, it's not really a hardship.  If you're interested in helping, though, please take $60 and get a cat at your local shelter neutered, so there are less unwanted kittens in the world.  Or help someone who can't afford meds for their own cat.  Lord knows, someone owned this very well socialized bundle before she got here.

And now, I have to find her a home.  So if you know anyone in the northeast Colorado area who wants a kitten, here she is:

They can have her for free if they promise to love her and care for her like she was their own kid.  Contact me via email for more information.  If I don't get any takers by next week, I'll drive her to the nearest Humane Society location.  She'll find a home fast - as cute and friendly as she is.

And if her 'actual' owners show up, they owe me for the meds, the kitten chow, the Purell I had to use to keep from infecting my cats, and the vet boarding bill.  I have loads of kindness for lost kittens.  I don't have an ounce for people who can't bother to get medical attention for the fur-people who depend on them.

Just ask the dipshits who tried to claim Max last year.  "Sorry, chickies, but I paid a shitload of money to fix his broken jaw--you know, the break you laughed about when I asked what happened?  You don't deserve him.  He's mine now." 

And Gingersnap is mine until I find her a forever home.