Hope came to us very recently, and didn't stay very long. She left behind
sadness, joy, determination, and the understanding that sometimes, the
hardest decision is the right one.
Hope was nothing special to look at; a medium hair black petite female,
somewhere between 1 and 2 years of age. She had been dropped off at the
shelter, very pregnant, and gave birth in a small steel cage.
I heard that Hope was not nice. She was supposed to be unhandleable, but
when I saw her and her tiny babies in that little steel box, I knew
differently. She was simply protecting her babies from the world at any
cost. She let me pet her, and her kittens without protest. It was only
when I tried to take her away from them that she let me know that was
unacceptable. On the spot, I took Hope and her babies out of there. At
that moment, she was simply known as Black Momma Kitty.
Hope went to a foster home notorious for coaxing even the most frightened
cat or kitten into being her friend. Black Momma Kitty was so good to her
babies. They nuzzled and nuzzled and she kept them safe. She was even so
good as to accept a singleton orphaned kitten as her own.
It became apparent on Tuesday that Black Momma Kitty wasn't feeling well.
She was obviously in pain, and refused to eat. Eventually she retreated to
the litter box and would not come out. Her foster mom and I took her to
the Emergency Vet to be seen, hoping that we could make her more
comfortable and return her to her babies.
The vet's news was not good. Severe mastitis had resulted in a huge
abscess that would need to be irrigated, debrided, and allowed to close
from the inside out. No stitches, just an open wound that would have to be
kept clean at all times. No more nursing her babies. IV antibiotics,
fluids and a minimum 48 hour hospital stay - but likely closer to 96
hours. She was only 5lbs.
We were easily looking at an $1800 cat here. Not even sure if she was
adoptable. Not even sure if she could beat this. Jaundiced, potentially
septic, with a fever of 104.9, her foster home and I cried, ranted, and
cursed her poor life. The vet said most likely this was not her first
litter. Her uterus was filled with fluid, her eye had a congenital defect,
and she had most likely spent all of her short life living outside. Soft
as her fur was, it didn't shine, and it was flaky and dry.
In the end, we had to make the decision to do what was best for Black
Momma Kitty. We held her, we cried, we stroked her and told her what a
good Momma she was. We promised to take care of her babies and find them
the best homes. We decided that her life could not go unremembered, and
gave her a name. I chose Hope. Hope that one day, there will not be a huge
pet overpopulation problem, hope that one day young unowned female cats
won't have to give birth to babies outside, in the cold, or in cold steel
cages. Hope that in telling her story over and over, people would begin to
listen, to be educated, and to help be a part of the solution.
The vet helped us send her compassionately over the Rainbow Bridge,
surrounded by love, compassion, and people who understand what Hope means.
sadness, joy, determination, and the understanding that sometimes, the
hardest decision is the right one.
Hope was nothing special to look at; a medium hair black petite female,
somewhere between 1 and 2 years of age. She had been dropped off at the
shelter, very pregnant, and gave birth in a small steel cage.
I heard that Hope was not nice. She was supposed to be unhandleable, but
when I saw her and her tiny babies in that little steel box, I knew
differently. She was simply protecting her babies from the world at any
cost. She let me pet her, and her kittens without protest. It was only
when I tried to take her away from them that she let me know that was
unacceptable. On the spot, I took Hope and her babies out of there. At
that moment, she was simply known as Black Momma Kitty.
Hope went to a foster home notorious for coaxing even the most frightened
cat or kitten into being her friend. Black Momma Kitty was so good to her
babies. They nuzzled and nuzzled and she kept them safe. She was even so
good as to accept a singleton orphaned kitten as her own.
It became apparent on Tuesday that Black Momma Kitty wasn't feeling well.
She was obviously in pain, and refused to eat. Eventually she retreated to
the litter box and would not come out. Her foster mom and I took her to
the Emergency Vet to be seen, hoping that we could make her more
comfortable and return her to her babies.
The vet's news was not good. Severe mastitis had resulted in a huge
abscess that would need to be irrigated, debrided, and allowed to close
from the inside out. No stitches, just an open wound that would have to be
kept clean at all times. No more nursing her babies. IV antibiotics,
fluids and a minimum 48 hour hospital stay - but likely closer to 96
hours. She was only 5lbs.
We were easily looking at an $1800 cat here. Not even sure if she was
adoptable. Not even sure if she could beat this. Jaundiced, potentially
septic, with a fever of 104.9, her foster home and I cried, ranted, and
cursed her poor life. The vet said most likely this was not her first
litter. Her uterus was filled with fluid, her eye had a congenital defect,
and she had most likely spent all of her short life living outside. Soft
as her fur was, it didn't shine, and it was flaky and dry.
In the end, we had to make the decision to do what was best for Black
Momma Kitty. We held her, we cried, we stroked her and told her what a
good Momma she was. We promised to take care of her babies and find them
the best homes. We decided that her life could not go unremembered, and
gave her a name. I chose Hope. Hope that one day, there will not be a huge
pet overpopulation problem, hope that one day young unowned female cats
won't have to give birth to babies outside, in the cold, or in cold steel
cages. Hope that in telling her story over and over, people would begin to
listen, to be educated, and to help be a part of the solution.
The vet helped us send her compassionately over the Rainbow Bridge,
surrounded by love, compassion, and people who understand what Hope means.
