You don’t understand how it was! Let me explain!

September 29th, 2007 | Uncategorized

So I had a bit of an adventure yesterday. I moseyed on up to “Lake” Edinburg (actually a reservoir, not a lake) and paddled. It was overcast, bathwater-warm, and very nice. The lake/pond is a good 2 feet shallower than last time I paddled it, but I still had a good time. Saw 2 kinds of egrets, some herons (small ones…?), some cormorant-type things (lighter-colored, smaller), some kingfisher-type things, frogs, toads, fish jumping… lots of life in semitropical Deep South Texas. Also lots of garbage. Stupid Deep South Texans.

Then at about 7:15 I tried to leave. Tried. All gates locked. @#$%. I beat my brains against that for quite a while. No way out. While I was examining one of the gates for possible lock-jimmying (no dice) or alternative gate opening strategies (even fewer dice), I heard a very loud, piercing meow. I thought perhaps a local person’s cat had come to say hi. But there are no houses for half a mile or so, there. And the cat was a vaguely orange-mud-colored kitten. Very small. And it was bleeding. It ran up to me and whined very loudly. Then it wouldn’t stop following me (stupid cat). So I took it home with me.

This involved walking a little over 3 miles to the nearest phone in my paddling sandals, carrying a sometimes – not – cooperative kitten in a little bag I found in my trunk. We negotiated a position with the bag over my shoulder like a purse, and the cat popping his head and front paws out to see where we were going. After a while, he just slept. Musta been tired. And I found out that nobody picks up a thirtysomething bearded hitchhiker in shorts and a paddling top at night, even if he is carrying a kitten.

The cat was a mess. Huge goobery black eye boogers all over its face, filthy, fleas EVERYWHERE, and bleeding from a wound under its chin. Fresh wound. Craig suggested maybe it was thrown out of a moving car very recently. Or maybe it was bitten by something unfriendly very recently.

Now the wound is healing a bit, the eye boogers are gone, he’s bathed, and he has been given flea treatment, eye ointment, shots, a checkup, and pretty much a clean bill of health. The vet said he’s about 8 weeks old, so that’s a relief (I was worried he was younger). The vet also said he’s a he. I was wrong about that one. Gotta rethink name possibilities.

Now off to get some kitten food. I don’t know if I’ll keep him. Maybe. Or maybe someone else wants a very cute little kitten who’s had his shots and has figured out where his litter box is and everything.

Did I mention today’s my birthday? :)

[The rest of the pictures, after the jump, are mostly for my wife. You can look if you want, but unless you're as gaga for kittens as she is, you might get bored]