‘Tail’ of two kittens has purrrfect ending
“Wake up, Mom! Wake up! Sprite’s tail just broke off in my lap!”
Before I can open my eyes, my son, Sam, shoves a kitten in my face. Despite his injury, the kitten is purring. It’s the same sound he’s been making for the last several days, when Sam found him crouching along a dark country road.
“Only your son would spot a black kitten at sunset,” my husband told me. “It must be a hereditary thing.”
Actually, I think it’s a compassion thing. Sam thought the kitten had been hit by a car. When he pulled over to help, the little guy ran to him purring. And then, another kitten came out of the cornfield.
Yep, Sprite has a sister. We’re calling her Sylvie. Both are black and fluffy with huge amber eyes. And both were freezing their tails off when Sam found them.
What’s a mom to do?
Well, this mom called her pal and fellow animal lover, Shelly Korves. We have served together on the Belleville Area Humane Society board of directors for several years. And she is my touchstone for all things rescue.
“The shelter will have no problem finding them good homes,” Shelly assured me.
I agreed to foster the kittens in the meantime.
Never mind my middle name is Foster Fail. Animals that enter my home seldom leave. But I could do this – and my son would help me.
That help included coaxing the kittens to take antibiotics for respiratory infections. And snuggling them to teach them to trust humans.
Remember when I said the kittens were freezing their tails off when Sam found them? The ends of both their tails were frostbitten. They were scheduled to be amputated by the shelter veterinarian, when Sprite’s tail broke off on its own.
Well, not the whole tail. Just the last 3 inches. When Sprite jumped in Sam’s lap, he landed on that dead tail tip like a pogo stick. Snap. No blood. No pain. And now no need for surgery.
“The kitten is fine,” I told Shelly. “But Sam is still in shock.”
Not nearly as shocked as Sam’s father was when Sam announced he wants to adopt both kittens.
“I’ll take them with me when I move out,” explained our son, who is currently completing his master’s degree at home.
And if he leaves them here? Well, I’m not going to complain. We haven’t had a feline family member since the late, great Malcolm Schrader, who passed away two Christmases ago at age 21.
Sometimes a foster fail is a foster win. Now to convince my husband ...
