There was a kitten by the side of my porch when my daughter came home last night. We live down a lane, next to the countryside and I know every pet in the immediate neighbourhood and this wasn’t one of them.
It ran off when I tried to coax it. It was small, scruffy and badly underfed. That, along with the patchy fur, suggested that it had been dumped.
Last night was predicted to hit -8C. I’m not a cat lover, I have dogs. But I couldn’t let the little sod freeze to death because it had an empty belly, so I raided the dog food and put out a bowl of pedigree wet food in the hope it would come back. Just to get something to eat.
I checked a couple of times and the food was untouched but on the third occasion, the kitten was almost in the bowl trying to eat the now frozen food.
It ran off as soon as I stepped out. That bowl I took to the kitchen to warm up, there were teeth marks in the frozen solids. I filled another and took it out.
When I went to bed, the bowl was empty. Licked clean. So I replaced it with the now thawed food I’d put out earlier.
It hit -10.
On leaving the house today around 4pm to take my daughter to one of her many classes, I noticed the little fellow curled up in the lee of the porch.
It eyed me warily.
I nipped back inside and then crouched and handed it half a sausage I was saving for the dogs. It must have been starving because it allowed me to get near enough for it to snatch the meat and run.
Little steps.
While out and about, I bought some kitten pouches – foil pouches containing wet kitten food. When I arrived back, I looked down the side of the porch and found not two, but four eyes staring back. Two scrawny little kittens curled up next to each other.
![20171211_170331_001[1].jpg](https://images.hive.blog/768x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmUbbzdqdDiP9aKP34A1xEbVqRBS6m4GPNmiajmJ1X8ALb/20171211_170331_001%5B1%5D.jpg)
So, I filled a bowl with two of the pouches, waved it in front of their noses and rattled it on the porch until they jumped up.
I’ve never seen animals devour food that quickly. So busy were they, that they let me stroke them gently. I could feel every rib; their spines were like mountain ranges above sagging, empty skin and fur.
I emptied another pouch into the bowl, locked the dogs in the living room and coaxed the kittens down the hall and into my pool room (table, not swimming).
![20171211_174637[1].jpg](https://images.hive.blog/768x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmUFh967BL5A3Nm8M6ne3Dif7dCT2uGugZt2eXuCwwYK4G/20171211_174637%5B1%5D.jpg)
I’ve no idea what I’m going to do with them but I’ll be buggered if I’ll let them starve or freeze when there’s warmth and food here.
My entire family but me are allergic to cats and now I’ve let in two.
My wife is going to kill me.
I don’t care.
Hello John, I pick your post for this week's Comment Challenge. Thank you for a great story! How did your family react?
Shhhh! They suspect nothing!
Haha! So you still keep the kittens inside?
I don't care what everyone else says, you're a decent guy @johnkingwriter.
Growls
LOL You do realize blockchain is forever, and your actions has told the world you are a softee... ;-)
that little guy looks beautiful. You're doing the right thing for them at least until you can find them a foster home or a new forever home.
He's totally happy now that he's got a full belly.
There is a reason we all love you. This would be it.
Yeah, everybody loves the guy with the pool table! ;)
I knew your first nickname on The Block was unwarranted.
You are a decent bloke, for a Scot 😉
RatBastard had his role to play but he's had his final curtain call. Careful, you're tearing up there...
YAY John!!! If you call whatever there is local of RSPCA (is that right for scotland?)/shelter/whatever you ought to be able to find some no-kill options for them. Placing them yourself is not so easy with the allergies, unless you guys have friends wanting kittens for their kids for Christmas. So looking for a rescue or talking to your vet to see if they know someone either wanting them or who rescues...
They're safe, warm and fed. Merry Christmas, kitties!
Just awesome. Thank you SO MUCH for helping them.
It cost me a few pouches of food and a little inconvenience. It appears that is the meagre price of a life these days and not necessarily just for kittens...
John, you are an angel. Now, that can go either way, as we know too well from history, but still, an angel you are.
You say that now. You wanna see me on a Friday night...
oh yeah, angels can go either way!
I think there's a tale in that...
This made me smile.... You're a good human, sir. And these are indeed your kitties. Enjoy them!
I never claimed to be human :)
Awesome :)
Upvoted because you fed and gave them shelter, psst tell the wife it is one of Gods creatures.... ;-)
You. Are. Wonderful. I love this so stinkin' much. I HAVE to resteem it. Please do keep us updated!
I'm glad it cheered you up :) They're off to a sanctuary to get rehomed.
I tell you what, now they're warmed up and fed, they are so grateful! I walk into the room and they're all over me, tails up like masts, purring and meowing. Huge change from two almost dead kittens. They can't be more than four months old.
Really,this is an opposite reflection on what goes on here in my country.
We need much of these in my country.
Florence Nightingale owned more than 60 cats in her lifetime.
The original crazy cat lady. I did wonder...
Cats have about 130,000 hairs per square inch (20,155 hairs per square centimeter).
A cat can’t climb head first down a tree because every claw on a cat’s paw points the same way. To get down from a tree, a cat must back down.
In our experience, for a cat to get down from a tree, my husband must toss a rope over the branch and hoist up a basket with wet food in it and stand there waiting for the cat to get in.
A kitten will typically weigh about 3 ounces at birth. The typical male housecat will weigh between 7 and 9 pounds, slightly less for female housecats.
Cats lived with soldiers in trenches, where they killed mice during World War I.
LOL... my wife and I live full-time in our RV and did something similar. We came back to Texas for the Winter and saw these 2 community cats roaming around the camp. Being the animal lovers we are, we started putting out food and thinking about what would happen when it got really cold. Even though Texas winters are pretty mild, we do get snow on occasion. So, my wife bought a little outdoor cat house and we lined it with mylar and started putting their food bowl in there. Now they've taken to sleeping there, and they're anything but scrawny! We have 2 dogs, 1 cat and are about to have another baby cat so we can't make room for those 2 in our RV (plus they're too wild and wouldn't like it). Thanks for doing that! The world isn't an easy place for animals anymore.
To be fair, mate - this world ain't an easy place for anyone anymore. But every now and then you have a chance to make someone's life a little better and those are the moments you'll remember at the end.
Hear, hear :)
Good post, I am a photographer, it passes for my blog and sees my content, I hope that it should be of your taste :D greetings
Awe they are going to warm up quickly! You have a big heart, i hope you survive your wife though!!
Sheesh. I've survived her up until now. Though sometimes it's been a close call. ;)
You did the right thing. How allergic are the folks in your house? Mildly or severe? If they are mild allergies being exposed to cats could desensitise them over time...It won't be easy but can be done. I used to be allergic. Now I own four cats! I must be nuts.
They're pretty allergic. Nuts is under-rated. I know no-one normal. Nuts is the new black :)
lol
A cozy box in a quiet corner will be a fine bed. Food and water, of course. And don't forget a litter box or two. They'll know what to do with those.
You'll get the same reaction I got when I brought our current dog home...
"Love the dog. Hate you."
I got over it and the dog's still here. ;~D
Yeah, she did that to me with the dogs...
There ya go - turn about is fair play!
You can always find them a good home. At least they are warm and safe now with full bellies.
Researchers believe the word “tabby” comes from Attabiyah, a neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq. Tabbies got their name because their striped coats resembled the famous wavy patterns in the silk produced in this city.
This is such a sweet story! I think I love you (platonically of course) and I know I love @catfacts (also platonically).
Purring does not always indicate that a cat is happy and healthy - some cats will purr loudly when they are terrified or in pain.
I found your post from @danielsaori comment contest! I am so glad he picked your post & look forward to following along moving forward!
I hope you enjoy my entry!
https://steemit.com/steemitcommentchallenge/@danielsaori/steemit-comment-challenge-10-the-winner-is-steemit-comment-challenge-12-usd5sbd-50-usdpost-giveaway-comment-like-a-champ-grow
Most people don't even look up from their cellular devices to look at the road they are driving on let alone blink an eye at a stray! Taking the time to care about the little lily-livered feline shows your compassion. Most stray cats would almost rather go hungry than to get to close to a human, they must have sensed your compassionate nature and trusted that you were helping them survive. I imagine your kind compassionate nature runs in the family, so while your wife likely will have compassion for you @johnkingwriter you might be eating with the kittens and putting your pillow & blanket on your pool table! lol J/k In all seriousness, you write beautifully and truly showed your compassion for healing an injured soul, you may have ended up with more than you bargained for which is a blessing in itself. I am sure your family will help you name them and re-home them. I would also expect that they will be very proud of your efforts and always remember the kindness you showed to these hungry & freezing kittens.
Hello @johnkingwriter
I am stunned at your benevolence. Believe me, if you could show love, feed and shelter a kitten that is not even yours irrespective of your family's allergy, then you are just the kind of people we need to make this world a more comfortable and loving place to live in.
Ride on. Continue to spread the love.
This post made me laugh! You basically put the cats before your whole family! Something I would dedinately do! 😂 You are more of a cat person than you think 😻 Hopefully you did not have to make a bed out of that pool table! Although sleeping with cats can be soothing! Glad you took them in! I'm sure they will find the purrrrrfect family!