Love for Animals Trumps Allergies

We recently took in a kitten even though I am allergic to cats. Whether the kitten was left by humans or its momma for unknown reasons, he was found by the dumpster behind the cooking studio where I work. It must have been close to one hundred degrees with the heat index that day. The little guy was lethargic, tiny and super skinny. I wrapped him in a blanket and took him to the Jacksonville Humane Society (jaxhumane.org) where I learned he was about five weeks old. I had full intention of leaving him there, however, my heart had different plans. As I explained to the staff how he was found, they proceeded to tell me about the Kitten Crusader program. Basically, If I choose to foster the kitten and find it a home or take it in as my own, they would provide food, litter and vet care at no cost to me. Looking down into the box that the kitten was curled into a ball sleeping, I couldn’t help but think of Frankie and what she would want me to do. So I agreed to sign up for the program and take him home with me.

It would be an understatement to say that everyone I know was completely surprised at my choice. I am sure the sentence “I will never have a cat, I am allergic.” came out of my mouth a hundred times. Well, my friends, never say never! Once I brought this fluffy little kitten to Frankie, she fell in love. We immediately took him home to give him a bath. He was covered with fleas. We scrubbed and lathered until he looked half the size, he was dry and completely cleaned. I had to drain and refill the tub 3 times. I used Tea Tree oil and a flea comb to help treat him for the fleas. It is imperative that any treatment used on such a young animal be gentle as to not irritate their delicate skin. After a thorough rinse, we towel dried him gently. By this point he was so tired, he fell asleep in the towel. Then, we let him rest.

No more than an hour later, he woke up hungry. First, I gave him straight raw cow's milk. He would not drink it from the bowl, as he was unsure how to do so. I dipped my finger into the thin layer of cream on the top of the milk and put it up to his tiny mouth. He took one lick and then realized that it was exactly what he needed. I continued to give him the milk this way until he felt comfortable sipping from the bowl. I only fed him milk for the next 24 hours. He slept through the night, as I am sure he was exhausted from sleeping on guard with worries of predators while on his own in the wild. The next day, he was still somewhat skittish. He would stay under the couch or inside, underneath the reclining chair, hiding from the unknown. Slowly, he began to take quick sprints from one to the other. He would take cover each time quickly as if something was after him.

By day three, he was feeling safe and spending more time in the open. This is when I noticed his survival skills. He would slowly creep towards our very old and toothless mini dachshund Tyberious. Once he got into arm's length, he would hiss and swat at poor Tybo. Soon he realized that Tybo was not interested in anything except his food. Now they seem to get along just fine, however, they aren’t snuggling together just yet. I do think that Tybo is going to enjoy not being the only one here when we have all left the house for the day. The bond will begin slowly, but surely.

Now that he is comfortable around us, he has begun kneading (making biscuits) on Frankie while they are snuggled up. Frankie does not like it because although his paws and claws are tiny, they are also very sharp. I explained to Frankie that he only does it because he is comfortable, but she said it is not comfortable to her. This is not something I can argue with. I explained that if she doesn’t like it, gently pick him up and move him away. She is learning how to handle him and not let him make her uncomfortable. I think that his cuteness helps keep her calm when one of his claws latches on to her or her clothes. I certainly hope this will be a good lesson for her to learn how to be gentle with animals, especially babies.

I wanted Frankie and the kitten to form a bond, as I consider this to be her first pet. Tybo has been around, however, he is fifteen years old and not at a very playful stage in his life, the kitten is. Although I chose the name Jax for the forms at the Humane Society, I asked Frankie to name him. She was very excited to pick the name Meow Meow. This definitely helped form a bond because when I went back to her room later that day, they were both on her bed and Frankie had changed into striped leggings. When I asked her why she changed into the leggings, she stated that she wanted to look like her baby brother Meow Meow. My heart skipped a beat. If there was any doubt left about keeping his kitten, there was no longer doubt. And so it is that we are now a family of five, three humans and two fur babies. My heart is full and so is my house.