Hello all! How was everyone's week?

   Mine? Oh, very entertaining! LOL

   Where to begin.....

   Well, it all started with my Maine Coon breeder. I have been waiting to hear if she was going to have a kitten for me out of her current litter that is about 2 months old, after having to pass on one from the previous litter. She had originally said she would have one available from this litter, then it went to probably. Well, Rowdy was too lonely to wait for probably. I went away with my best friend to celebrate our 25 years of being friends, and it pushed him over the edge! He was absolutely frantic when I got home, and remained pretty worked up for days following. So when I emailed her to see if she was any closer to knowing if I got a kitten, the answer was no, she still didn't know. So I made the decision to just go get a little kitten that needed a home.

   Now, where as it IS kitten season, it's still early on and most kittens aren't old enough to be adopted out yet. After much looking and calling around, I found a rescue place that had 3 kittens ready for adoption. It was only 5 miles from my house, so last Tuesday I walked down to the shop, only to find out that all 3 kittens had gotten sick over night and would not be adopted out because of it! ACK!

   I was pretty bummed out, as I fully expected to adopt and take home a kitten that day. So I trudged home, mood in the toilet and got online again to start searching again for a buddy for Rowdy.

   Well, I firmly believe that things happen for a reason, and this time was no different! I got on craigslist and saw a few kitten ads, so I emailed 1 person, and then there it was: "2 special needs kittens need homes". I pulled up the ad and read it carefully. There were 2 kittens with problems. One was a little girl kitten who had ataxia or wobbly legs, and the other was a little boy born with a partial eyelid on one eye.

   And it hit me. HE was the reason I hadn't been able to adopt those other kittens. He was waiting for me to go get him and bring him home! So I called and asked if the kittens were still needing homes. The lady said the boy kitten was the only one left. PERFECT! She then said she wanted me to know that he would almost definitely need surgery and most likely need to have the eye removed. I told her that wasn't a problem, because it wasn't!

   I mean seriously, if I was willing to spend $800 for a Maine Coon kitten, why shouldn't I be willing to spend that much to fix a kitten? Quite a better use of my resources! ;]

   So I told her I wanted him and made arrangement to go get him the next day. Of course, good ol' Mother Nature didn't cooperate, the weather was bad, and what normally would have been a 40 minute drive to get there took 2 1/2 hours. It was horrific! But I got there and there he was. Small for his size, probably because she was feeding him cheap adult cat food, not kitten food, and a bit quiet, but he was mine.

   I could go on, but I'll try and sum the rest up: He got an all clear from a walk in vet hospital I stopped at, and they said the eyeball itself actually looked pretty good! But the next day, at my vet office, for his eye consult, they said that there wasn't enough eyelid left to be able to salvage it, so it would be best for his comfort to remove the eye all together whne he is a little older.

   And it will be fine. Cats adapt very well to having only 1 eye, so I'm  not worried about it. In 2 month, when I'm back from attending a wedding New York, I'll take him in and have the eye done as well as get him neutered. He'll be 4 months old by then, and should be big enough to handle it. The vet quoted $600 for both surgeries combined, which is very doable, but I think instead of birthday presents, I'll be asking my family to donate to his surgery bill, if they are so inclined. :)

   As of Friday, the breaking in period ended and he is running around like a banshee and tormenting, unless he's hissed at, Rowdy and myself. He has brought me a lot of joy and no end of laughter at his antics.

   And can anyone guess the name that popped into my head the moment I read about him in the ad and decided he was mine?

   Anyone?

   Wait for it......

   MAD EYE MOODY! LOL  Have a good one! Kari  :}