This past summer, I was dropping my cousin off at the local auto shop and saw a worn out and dirty looking black and white cat.I got out of my car and the cat came up to me and rubbed against my outstretched hand.I asked the owner about her, found out her name was Bootsy, that she had a bed and food inside the auto shop, but was in essence a stray.The owner also informed me that she was having three or four litters every year, and when I asked why he didn’t spay her he said it was too much money.I braced myself for a full fledged debate on why he should let me spay Bootsy- the rampant overpopulation, the dangers of uterine cancer – and found myself surprised when he quickly agreed to let me take Bootsy to get spayed.
Three days later, I brought Bootsy to the vet.(In the waiting room I discovered that Bootsy HATES dogs.A cute little terrier came up and tried to sniff Bootsy’s cage, and she almost knocked her carrier over trying to get to the dog.) When I brought her in to see the vet, he told me that she was pregnant.I asked if he was sure, and the vet told me that he could feel four kittens.
In the world of shelters and rescue operations the normal thing to do would be to abort the kittens.With anywhere from 4-6 million healthy cats and kittens being euthanized each year because there are not enough homes for them; it is almost selfish to bring more into existence.But my vet was not comfortable doing this; the kittens were too far along.So, I left the clinic, brought Bootsy back to the auto shop, and tried to figure out who I could cajole into fostering her.
The next day, I somehow managed to convince my friend, Lucy and her mother Barbara, to foster Bootsy (and her not yet born kittens). Triumphantly, I called up the owner of the auto shop and informed him that I was going pick up Bootsy. As a side note, he mentioned that Bootsy had a huge bump on her side. I rushed over to see how bad it was and discovered an abscess the size of a fist violently protruding from her shoulder. I brought her to the vet and was informed that if she had gone much longer with this wound, she would have died. Boosty had to undergo a tricky surgery and I kept her at the vet for 10 days since she had to have a tube inserted into her to drain the wound.
Unfortunately, when an unvaccinated animal gets any kind of wound, it is labeled a wound of unknown origin. The string of logic then goes that this wound could have been inflicted by the bite of another animal and thus, the attacking animal could have transmitted rabies to Bootsy. Because of this, Massachusetts state protocol demands that any unvaccinated animal with a wound of unknown origin go into quarantine for 6 months. The first thing on the list of what the state thinks you should do in this situation is to euthanize the animal. Seeing as how this was not an option in my mindset, I managed to convince Lucy and Barbara to keep Bootsy for the quarantine.
This past August 5th (2007), Bootsy gave birth to three black and white kittens and one orange and white kitten that we named Banana. She is one of the best mothers I have ever seen. She would come out of her birthing box to eat, accept a few pats and then go back and nurse her young.
The black and white kittens are Huckleberry (also known as Mr. Moustache), Blackberry (Bootsy the sequel), and Blueberry. The odd kitten out is Banana (or Creamsicle depending on whom you ask) and is a kittenwar.com champion for her pretty looks.
