A Tiny Rescue

Yesterday morning, I opened my side door.

And received a shock.

Then the next two hours of my life took an unexpected, and all-consuming turn.

 

On the porch was a sorta stray cat I call Tiny. She is small, and with long fur. I say sorta stray because she, I think, actually belongs to a neighbor. It is obvious though that while she might have an actual owner, she is treated like a stray. For years and years now, she is on my front porch twice a day to eat.

One day, about five years ago, I realized that her long fur was horribly, and I mean horribly, matted. My heart instantly went out to her. I gently picked her up, brought her inside, and spent close to two hours carefully, ever so carefully, snipping off the countless tangled matts with small, sharp scissors. When I was done, Tiny looked a fright! She had tuffs of long hair still, but all adjacent to scalped patches! She truly looked a fright but I knew that she was, without question, no longer in pain and discomfort. Then I gave her a bath, and combed out her remaining fur.

Tiny took all this abuse with remarkable grace. It was as if she was SO relieved to have some vital grooming.

After she was towel-dried, I returned her to the front porch whereby she devoured her lunch. She then scampered off, and I could only wonder: Her nominal owners are going to think: WTF?

 

The years passed and Tiny required some attention occasionally but nothing like she did during the Matt Emergency.

But…yesterday morning, I opened my side door.

And received a shock.

Then the next two hours of my life took an unexpected turn.

 

Standing on my side porch was, unexpectedly, Tiny. I had never seen her on my side porch. She looked up at me. I looked down. And my heart seized.

Tiny was a mess. Her face was nearly covered with…ick. It was obvious she had a bad cold or something and had been sneezing and sneezing and all this…ick… was hardened across across her face. Her eyes, too, were surrounded by…ick. And her nose was clogged by…ick. Her body fur was dirty and old leaves and small twigs were tangled in with the dark fur.

But her tail. OMG. OMG. It was obvious that she had been having, ah, digestive problems and this had, ah, overtaken her tail. What was supposed to be a lovely line of long fur was now a line of petrified…ick.

I stood, taking all this in.

Tiny then bolted into my house. She had never done this before. I had but one thought: Tiny is crying for help.

 

Twenty minutes later, Tiny was finished with her bath in very warm, very soapy water. She was kinda sorta OK with this. Kinda sorta. She was then placed atop a thick towel, and ever so gently towel-dried with another towel. With this done, I placed her atop the washing machine, and spent a half-hour carefully brushing her out and snipping off tangled matts. The bath had removed most of the ick from her tail, and with much tenderness I attended to restoring Tiny’s tail to its former beauty.

The bath had revealed a shockingly thin Tiny. My heart had seized up again. How old was she? I guessed very old. How long had she been so ill? Was she dying?

With her body thus renewed, I warmed a small towel and carefully, slowly cleaned her face and eyes.

Then I stood back. Tiny had been fully restored to at least the appearance of health.

Next on the salvation list was food. I opened a small cat of Fancy Feast. Tiny scarfed this up. I then placed a bowel of water on the washing machine. Tiny drank and drank and drank. This surprised me as there was a water bowl outside.

 

.

 

Not quite dry yet.

 

The onside temperature was 50 degrees but I was loathe to let Tiny back outside until she was fully dry. So, she spent the next hour in my office, with much of this happily ensconced on my lap.

Finally, I let her back outside, whereby she quickly scampered to a beam of sunlight. I kept looking out the window for the next hour and she remained in her beam of warm light.

The she wandered off.

 

That night, I was thrilled when she returned to my front porch for dinner, and was enormously relieved that her face remained, mostly, free of…ick. I brought her back inside for a quick refresh.

This morning though, Tiny was not on my front porch. My heart sank. Had she died?

My. Heart. Sank.

 

Late in the afternoon, as I returned from the Cross House, Tiny scampered up to me as I got out of the car! SQUEE!!!!!!!! She looked good! She also followed me to the side door, and raced in after I opened it.

Hey!

She walked right to the washing machine, and looked at me. Then she looked up again at the washing machine. It was obvious. She wanted, and damn well expected, some more Fancy Feast. This really impressed me. Tiny had, with remarkable intelligence, already figured out: Ross + inside + big white metal thing = tasty food.

Wow. Tiny was smart!

 

Her fur still looked clean and her face, importantly, was 97% free of ick. When she had finished her dinner I warmed another towel and rubbed her face to its maximum beauty.

 

I had to wonder.

Tiny had been so obviously desperately sick. Yet, but a day later, she was clearly in vastly better shape. Did the shock of a bath, and having a deluge of love and gentleness cascade over her, transform her health?

I suspect so.

 

 

 

11 Comments

  1. Dawn Rocco on November 21, 2018 at 11:56 pm

    If I could I’d take Tiny home with me.

  2. Cindy from California on November 22, 2018 at 12:34 am

    Ross the only human Tiny belongs to now is you. I would never let her out again. Sometimes I really hate people. She’s only in the shape she’s in because of the actions of some human. Poor baby. I already knew she was smart. She went to you when she needed help didn’t she? She’s so very lucky she has you Ross.

    • tiffaney jewel on November 23, 2018 at 6:04 pm

      Preach it, sister! I couldn’t agree more. Her “owners” lost their rights to her. Hopefully Ross can add her to the outside kitty paradise he is building.

  3. Miriam Righter on November 22, 2018 at 5:08 am

    I concur with Cindy. Tiny’s original owners lost all rights to her when they left her outside and let her get so sick and dirty. Poor thing. I would, however, have her tested for giardia given the tail situation, before I put her with your other kitties. Giardia is an intestinal parasite that cats get from drinking infested water like ponds or streams. It is treatable but contagious. Normal deworming medicine will not kill it. I love hearing of your cat rescues. I do the same.

  4. Dan Goodall-Williams on November 22, 2018 at 6:25 am

    Ross, you truly are remarkable. That kitty sure knew that you would help. And this is why myself and many others have donated to you. Hopefully after the holidays I will be able to donate again because you so deserve it. Best of everything!

    • Debbie on November 22, 2018 at 10:22 am

      Exactly Dan! Ross is so awesome with kitties. That is why I donated… ross, Is there any way you can keep her inside?

  5. PK on November 22, 2018 at 8:06 am

    Ross, you have imbued Tiny with electrifying love-of course that is healing!

    Some Illnesses start first from deep within the etheric body then materializes to the physical surface.

    Nothing is more nourishing then love.

  6. Vilya on November 22, 2018 at 9:13 am

    You’re a good man, Ross. <3

  7. Kim on November 22, 2018 at 12:12 pm

    Keep Tiny inside for longer intervals, get her a med check, and gradually introduce her to the others. They’ll rearrange autonomy to include an old, streetwise, scrapper. She’s got moxie. 🐈

  8. Karen Spencer on November 22, 2018 at 8:35 pm

    Giving thanks for you Ross on this Thanksgiving. You are a good man.

  9. Cindy from California on November 22, 2018 at 10:50 pm

    Happy Thanksgiving Ross!

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