My Little House Guest

If you follow along on instagram or twitter, you may have seen pictures of my house guest. This is how he came to stay with my little family:

I was lounging around in bed with Chris and scrolling through my instagram feed on Sunday after work. I saw a picture of a teesy little grey puff ball that @ashleyxrenee posted. She found the kitten in her basement while doing laundry. She brought him upstairs and made a little bed, but since it was Sunday all the shelters were closed. She couldn't keep him over night because she actually had to leave town in the wee hours Monday morning. I rolled over and stared at Chris. I had plenty of time to get my pouty face right because it took him a while to notice the holes I was staring into his face. I showed him the picture and of course he said, "awwww" (he always does). I told him what the situation was and he said, "poor kitty."

Photo by Ashley

I rolled back over and thought about it for a minute or two. What if that were me? What if I found a piece of precious but couldn't take care of it? I only live 10 minutes away; in 10 minutes I can help this kitten and give Ashley some peace of mind. Well, I don't necessarily believe in Karma, but I do believe that if you help someone else, someday someone will help you. (That's why I like to take the trash out at work. One day I'll be sick and I won't want to....). I rolled back over and asked Chris how he felt about us taking the kitty for the night, then taking it to a shelter or finding it a home. He looked at me and basically said, "your mind is made up, I can tell. There is no stopping you when it comes to baby animals." Damn right!

I left a comment on Ashley's picture that I could take the kitten. A few minutes later I was in the car. Ashley and the kitten were waiting outside with a very curious Gozer peeking out the window. This was also the first time I've met Ashley in person. She was so sweet to help this kitten! The kitten is palm sized, so our girly hands are just enough to hold onto him.

I took him home in the carrier and zipped out for kitten formula. I've got him on a feeding schedule and I'm going to hang onto him until he's eating solid food, maybe longer! I called around and Pinellas County animal services flat out said they would euthanize him. Not gonna happen! Keeping him any longer than a few nights wasn't part of the original plan, but at 2-3 weeks, Chris and I are the best thing for him.

He eats like a champ and already has a little tummy going. The photo above is from right after a bath. His fur was caked with dirt and blood, but he's squeaky clean now! I'm just so happy Ashley found this little guy. Ok, one more!

I'll do another post on his progress, but with real photos. Not iPhone and instgram photos. If you have ever nursed a kitten this young and have any advice I would greatly appreciate it!