Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Kitty.

This past weekend was INSANE. And it is only going to get worse! I wish I could show y'all a picture of my bulletin board that is FULL of wedding invitations and party invitations. It is definitely wedding season, y'all!!!

Friday night, I went to Uncle Dave Macon Days with my grandparents and parents after work. Most of my family goes to this festival for the music, but I definitely go for the food...funnel cakes, lemonade, fried pies, fried fish, yum yum yum!

On Saturday, while I was outside watering my flowers, I noticed a momma cat and a few baby kittens. Of course, since I am the cat-lover in my family, I was worried about them. Brad assured me that they would be fine, so I left for work. I worked most of the afternoon, went to a fun Luau Shower for my sweet friend, Jaclyn, and then I met my parents at our favorite mexican restaurant for dinner. As soon as I got home, I immediately looked for the kittens again. Brad told me he had seen one around the porch for a while during the day, so I was worried that the momma cat moved them and left one behind.

The next morning as Brad and I were getting ready, we noticed a tiny kitten under my car. It was pouring rain, so we chased it around the backyard until we could catch it. We had several things to do that day, so we left the kitten in my garage so it could be in a dry and warm place. When we got home, we decided to bring the kitten in and give it a bath since it was covered in mud. As we were giving it a bath, we noticed a small hole in it's neck. I knew it wasn't a good thing, as we noticed several maggot-looking things around it. (Y'all, I know this is disgusting and probably too much info). Anyways, I immediately called my older sister, who is a vet tech, and she gave us specific directions for the kitten. During the night, Brad and I basically got up every 2 hours to feed her, clean her wound, and help her use the bathroom. Brad did a lot of it because I have a very weak stomach.

I took her to the vet the next morning before I went to work, and they decided to keep her and do some tests. I got a call later that morning from the vet explaining the kitten's condition. If you have a weak stomach, you may want to skip this part. Anyways, he basically said that she had swallowed a fly larva, and the larvae had to go somewhere - you get the picture. They gave us some oral antibiotics and other meds after they had cleaned the wound. They said she was probably 4 weeks old and weighed .8 lbs.

Brad picked her up after work, and he fed her and gave her her medications. She slept for pretty much the rest of the evening, which I thought was probably pretty common. Brad and I tried to decide on names for "Kitty" as we had been calling her, but we couldn't agree on one. Brad woke me up right before 3 a.m. and told me that he thought Kitty was about to die. She looked so pitiful. Brad was holding her in his hands, and she took one big breath and died right in his hands. Of course, I was a mess after that. Brad and I cleaned her off, and he took her out at 3 a.m. and buried her near our sweet Georgia.

I know y'all are probably like "why in the world is she telling us this horrible story???" I have to tell you, I think that little kitten was a gift from God. Brad and I tried and tried to save her, but she was not meant to stay here. For the past two days, I saw a completely different side of Brad - I saw an unbelievably loving and fatherly side - I truly think that God sent us that kitten to show me what an amazing father Brad will be. He would swaddle the kitty up and carry her around. He lovingly called her "Little Bit" and "Turtle" because she would curl up and tuck her head in whatever we had her wrapped up in. He got up nearly every other hour to check on her. She was seriously like our baby, and we treated her like that. I am still emotional about the whole thing, but Brad just lets me cry, and he tells me that her little body just couldn't handle all the stress.

We are both exhausted now, but I know that we will never forget our sweet Kitty!

So, that's the craziness that was my weekend - sorry for the strange post, but I just needed to get it out!

Blessings, y'all!

7 comments:

  1. Lena how sad!!! Doesn't it just melt your heart to see Brad like that?!

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  2. So sorry about the kitty; it is so hard to get invested in caring for a sweet little critter that way...

    It really is amazing to watch our big southern boys melt into a big pile of fatherly goo over an animal, isn't it? I know that when my fiance helps with the dog's ear infections, it's just about the cutest thing ever.

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  3. Poor little kitty! Isn't it reassuring to see your husband take on the father role?

    Enjoy your week!

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  4. Girl, I teared up reading this. That's so sad but also a really sweet story to share. I'm sorry you had to go through the emotional side of it... I'd have been the exact same way!

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  5. What a sad story!! I felt awful for the little kitty the whole time I was reading your blog. I feel so bad for Brad. I have never lost a pet like that. I can't imagine what it feels like.

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  6. I don't even like cats, and I got teary-eyed!

    Lena, you and Brad are going to be wonderful parents-- you both have such big hearts and are so caring!

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  7. What a sad story Lena! I am so sorry that you & Brad had to experience this, but I am glad it showed you the fatherly side of Brad!

    I hope this week is a little less chaotic for you!

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