Abandoned

Last week our neighbor watched as 4 kittens were abandoned  not far from our house.  Of course we checked it out and sure enough, 4 kittens a couple weeks old, eyes open, shaking and crying for their mama (at least that's what my maternal instincts told me) were huddled together under a lilac bush.  Needless to say, our kids acted as the animal rescue league.  The orphans were named;  Oreo, Tiger, Midnight and Silver.  They were starving.  As a mom, there's no worse feeling than knowing babies are starving.  We tried a cup of milk, but it was apparent they needed a nipple.  Sorry kitties, I can only go so far.  

 

Medicine droppers appeared and I was soon feeding the kittens.  We lined a box with old towels and tucked squeaking kitties into the garage for the night.  As morning approached, I nervously checked to see whether they survived the night or developed  diarrhea from the cow milk.  With much relief, I found the box clean and the kittens alive.  

 

We think we've found a home for the kittens where they'll be well cared for.  In the meantime, we will tend to them.  It's been interesting.  For one, they need to be fed every 2 hours.  I caved and bought kitten formula from the vet as I don't personally know any lactating cats.   Secondly, turns out kittens can't pee or poop without their genitals and anal glans being stimulated.  Say what?  Well, lets just say this mama's got the magic touch as I get each one to pee after each feeding and 3 of them to poop through anal gland stimuli.  Perhaps I missed my calling.

Feeding Tiger before I figured out they prefer to be held by their scruff for feeding.  Just as their mama would carry them.

Kitty formula.  I must be a sucker.

Apparently all kittens are born with baby blues. 

This is Oreo.  He's one of the stronger ones.

Silver is the other strong one.

We're not sure about Midnight.  He struggles with his "latch"  I told Ross that God made Midnight's body a little different from the rest.  Ross responded compassionately, "So, he's like special ed?"

 

Carrying for baby kittens certainly isn't how I envisioned spending Mother's Day weekend.  However, the message I hope this experience teaches my kids is priceless.

 

 

Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. 

Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching.  As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea.  The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning!  May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”