A couple weeks ago, my wife and I were walking our two dogs about a half a mile away from our house in Atwater Village (Los Angeles) when I spotted something small moving around in the bushes across the street.
Upon further investigation, we discovered that it was a small orphaned, black and white kitten (probably around three or four months old). I took hold of both dogs (and I also had our six week old daughter on my chest in a baby bjorn) while my wife spent a good 15 minutes trying to capture the cat. She eventually got it and we asked a few neighbors if they knew where it came from. They didn’t. So, we took it back to our place and decided to try and find it a home.
As my wife was walking up the driveway, the frightened kitten managed to squeeze out of her arms and run under my car. I spent a half an hour trying to re-catch it, but it eventually disappeared.
The next afternoon, my wife noticed the cat sitting in a small flowerpot behind our house. I tried to catch it again, but it took off over the neighbor’s fence.
The next day while I was at work my wife texted me “look who’s living under our house” along with a picture of the kitten poking its head out from a small hole near where our garden hose connects to the water pipes.
On my way home, I bought a couple cans of cat food and set them out for the kitten, along with a bowl of water. Since it decided to make our backyard its home, I may as well do my part and try to keep it fed.
Every time I tried to get near the kitten, however, it hissed and scurried away. I don’t know if it was born in the wild, or if it escaped, but it definitely saw me as a predator.
So every day I fed the kitten, and was hoping to take her to the Atwater Village cat rescue when they were open on the weekend. After a week of putting out food twice a day, I managed to trap her in a box and I took her to the cat rescue where I was told they were at kitten capacity. They gave me a list of shelters to call, and they were all either at capacity as well, or they told me that the kitten would be put down immediately because its so young.
Today, the kitten finally lowered its guard and let me get close enough to pet her. She’s a little dirty, but as soon as I started petting her, she purred like crazy. Now every time I go outside she runs up to me and wants to be pet and play. It’s heartbreaking.
I wish I could take this kitten in myself. However, my wife and I are dealing with being new parents right now, and we also own two dogs (that aren’t so fond of cats) and we are also moving to the valley in two weeks, so taking on a new pet is out of the question for us.
Since the kitten is letting me touch it now (and has become surprisingly playful all of the sudden) I’m going to try to take her to a vet this week, to have her checked out and make sure she’s doing okay, and to see if she’s even old enough to get fixed yet.
But if this kitten stays living outside, I’m not sure she will survive.
She needs a home.
If you want this adorable kitten as a pet, or if you know someone who might, please email me at erockappel@gmail.com.
And please pass this message along. Help find this kitten a home!
Someone save the Appel kitty!
(via patrickc)
