Before I found my kitten, Kuan Yin, I had been dying for a cat. It had been about five years since I last had the companionship of one. My boyfriend is a major dog person and was against it so I started hoping to tame one of the ferals in the neighborhood one day. One night, my bf and I were coming home from running errands and pulled into our driveway. He stopped suddenly as we saw a creature pass into our headlights. I looked closer and saw it was a ginger kitty that seemed to have no ability to use his back legs and scampered painfully to get around. My heart went out to him and my bf mentioned he had seen him like that for weeks after he was hit by a car. I sat in the living room one day and the dogs started going nuts barking. I went outside to investigate behind the fenced off "no dog" area and there was my orange kitty again. He looked hungry and scared but if I dare take one step toward him he'd dash off. I went to the store and bought a case of canned cat food. I started leaving it out everyday and peering through the window after I had been gone for a few minutes (my bedroom window looks out at this part of our yard). He was eating in such a sad way, he could not support his body weight so he kinda layed down and pulled the can toward his face. It appeared he had no experience with eating food this way before as he looked at the can quizzically until he understood. I fondly named him Sunshine. Everyday I looked forward to leaving his food out, he was starting to stay in the vicinity when I left it down for him..right outside my bedroom window which was cleverly left open for easy viewing. I started talking to him through the window and took it as a good sign as he looked up at me with tired eyes and then went back to his chow. I started coming up with a plan to trap him and take him to the vet to get all fixed up. The last time I saw him he had not touched his food but was laying by my window with some labored breathing...I tiptoed outside and sat next to him..he didn't even wake..I reached out and gently ran my finger along his face...he woke up with alarm and scampered off. I never saw him again for the last few weeks and hoped he had found a loving, caring home. My boyfriend talked to our neighbor today. She works at a vet and had captured him shortly after I last saw him. His condition was very bad and his prognosis poor...so they euthanized him, I just found out. I found a picture in my files I didn't even remember I had...a shot from the window of me looking down at him as he took refuge in our yard from the neighborhood dogs and cats. I hope I gave him some feeling of comfort...RIP, Sunshine....
