The Kitten and the Puncture Bite

In the past few years, I've become cursed with finding all lost/homeless animals within a 15 3000 mile radius. My trip to Connecticut was no exception.

While in the kitchen at my grandmother's condo, I spotted an adorable cat across the street. Feeling a bit animal deprived while 3,000 miles away from my brood of 4 dogs, 2 cats, 1 bird, 2 toads, and 2 fish, I decided to venture out across the street and visit the cat. While approaching, I noticed there was another cat, and then another. Uh oh, I thought I was going to visit a neighbor's cat only to realize I'd in fact, just stumbled upon a litter of feral kittens.

Just as I tried to walk back home, a woman pulled into the parking lot. I explained why I was there and she told me about these kittens. Apparently a friend of hers was going to loan her a trap so she could take them to the vet and find them homes. She had 4 cats already that she had found along the Spring Lake Village community. She told me that if I could catch them to bring them to her and she'd take care of it.

The next day, I went out with some tuna fish to give them when I spotted the runt of the litter asleep on a wall. Thinking it'd hear me and bolt long before I got close, I figured I'd try my luck. Surprisingly, I walked right up to it before it woke up and grabbed it. Well, understandibly, it freaked out and bit and scratched for it's life. It bit me through the nail on my thumb, to the bone on my forefinger, and deep into my thigh. I didn't let go though. I brought it back to the condo, wrapped it up in a towel and just held it until it calmed down. In the 30 minutes I held it, it finally calmed down enough to purr and nuzzle me without my needing the towel.

Before I knew it, that woman was at the door looking horrified and panicked asking my why I did that. "Well you told me if I caught one, you'd take it," I declared. "Yeah, but I never thought you'd actually do it," she exclaimed. Obviously, she's not familiar with my insanity that is my life.

She took the kitten and about 30 minutes later I got a call from Southington Animal Control telling me that the protocol for when an animal bites, is to keep it in quarantine for 14 days. The officer assured me that the kitten wouldn't be put down and then the woman got on the phone saying not to worry because she would take it once the quarantine ended.

Once the kitten was gone, I figured it was time to head over to the ER: the good old Southington ER. There were 4 patients and at least 6 staff members. I was in and out in less than an hour with a prescription for antibiotics and vicodin. The 60-70 year-old triage nurse had screwed up by giving me cold water to soak my fingers in so I quietly snuck into the bathroom to get warm water. The doctor noticed me doing that and I when I told him why, he basically let me write my own prescription. Woo!

For the rest of the trip, I went to the pound to visit my kitten at least once a day. At first it would only eat while I held it. Then it gradually calmed down as the days went on. By the last day of my trip (day #8 for my kitten), he was the king of the cage. Yes, I found out it was a little boy and I named him "Rascal."

I've been calling and checking in and he's still doing wonderfully. The woman is all set to pick him up on Thursday when he get's released.

I got Vicodin and my kitten gets a wonderful home. Everyone wins.