Kitty Stories
a couple weeks into my stay on Roatan, i was at Money Island on 'Wild Wing Wednesday' :) ... it's not unusual to see a cat in the restaurants being fed by the customers .... normally, i don't like to feed animals 'people food', .... but here i wonder if they are being fed at all ... so i participate :)
the next week there were 2 cats ... both very sweet, not jumping up, just sitting patiently waiting and taking the food gently .... i thought they looked pregnant ... and felt nipples on one of the cats ... of course, these are not full grown cats ... but just kittens themselves .... and you know me ... i thought i would offer to have them 'fixed' ...
i volunteered with World Vets here several years ago, so i knew who to contact to find out how much it would cost and the details ... lots of emails back and forth between several women, to find out a Vet comes from the mainland on Wed and neuters for US$75 each :( ....that was more than i could 'spare', and another woman said she would pay half ... another would help me with a cat carrier, and transportation ... 'animal lovers' ...
so i go back to Monkey Island to see who i could talk with ... the guy said yes he knew the cats and they were keeping them right there .... under the bar, ... in a cabinet ..., in a box ... and showed me ....
i guess i was a couple weeks too late ... 4 kittens .... the guy said 3weeks old ....:(
so, that momma cat is out; then i asked him about the 'other' cat ... he says he thinks it's a male, but will check and let me know ...
a few days later, i ask about the 'other' kitty ... 'oh yes ...look .. SHE is right here' ... and she is nursing the kittens TOO ............. !
WoW! the only thing i can think of is that one of the females had a litter and 'lost' them ... and just 'adopted' the 4 kittens ... the moms are both the same age, possibly sisters from the same litter themselves ... and they are sharing the kittens ? ... or maybe some are hers and some are hers .... at any rate ... it is really Amazing ... i've never heard of this before ...
but the bottom line is ... you cannot 'spay' any mother nursing kittens ..... or their milk will dry up :(
so, i'm off the hook on THESE two ....
oh my ... i have such a soft spot in my heart for kitties :(
this is a long story ...if you don't like cats ... you can quit reading now ... :)
....a few days later, i am walking home at night, past one of the Dive Shops, and this little kitty catches my eye ... she is very skinny .... i go to the store and buy some food .... she is hungry and eats the entire can ...
every night, i feed her a can of cat food mixed with some dry cat food ... she becomes accustomed to my arrival and the 'sound' that i make, and she comes running from where-ever she is hiding .... she knows me .. or at least the 'sound' i make to announce myself... and she is very appreciative ...
i inquired about her at the Dive Shop ... they do NOT want her there ... and 'someone is feeding her' ... whoops .. wonder who that could be :)
i think she is a nice kitty ... deserving of a good home ... so... i am thinking that if i get her healthy and pretty and spayed, ... maybe someone will adopt her ...
i called my contacts and explained that i had one cat to spay, not 2 ... so we made plans ...
on Tues i need to 'capture' her and take her to my room so i can meet the person who is helping me at 7:30am ...
my friend next door, who calls herself 'V', (who doesn't really 'like' cats) agreed to accompany me on my 'clandestine' adventure ...
i am so glad she was there ... we got the kitty into the box ... but obviously she was not happy about it, and the box was not secure enough ... she tried to escape ... so my friend held the box while i held the kitty by the neck inside the box, as we walked, side-by-side, down the street, with the kitty meowing, and us .... trying to look nonchalant ... kitty trying desperately to escape every now and then, and me, re-affixing my grip ... trying to keep her inside the box .... we had a long way to go .. but finally made it to the gate of our complex .... at which time ... i don't know what happened, but she flew out of the box ... into the darkness ... into the jungle ... out of sight :( ...i was devastated ... here i am trying to help this kitty, only to bring her to unknown territory .. alone .. all alone in the dark of night :(
i went in my room, sprayed myself liberally with DEET, took the can of cat food, and braved the dark wilderness ... lots of mosquitos, spiders, and God knows what else ... oh yes, fire ants ... i searched and searched, using the 'sound' that i have made every night .... finally after 20min, i hear her sweet meow ... so terrified, i am sure ... i see her eyes in my light, i approach, but she flees again ... i wait quietly, and call out again ... i see her, she is coming closer, she is hungry and scared ..... eventually she gives in and comes to the food ....... i grab her and the can of food, and we make it back to my room ... whew !!!!!!!
i would have felt so bad if i couldn't have found her and left her in unfamiliar territory, with dogs and other cats, to fend for herself ....
i closed her in the bathroom, she was crouched in a corner when i again opened the door ... but she ate, and purred, and rubbed my legs ... through all that terrifying experience, she never tried to bite me, nor scratch me ... she really is sweet ... just needs a loving home ...
damn ... this project was WAY easier when i did it in Utila with my Little Valentine ... and i'm not done yet ...
i got a cardboard box and lined it with a black plastic bag and bought some kitty litter, ...she was good through the night secured in the bathroom, no noise until 5am when she tried to look out the window and knocked 'stuff' on the floor ... i had moved everything out of there except that stuff ... my fault.
so, in the morning i stuffed her in the box, she wasn't happy about that and is very strong ... i put another box on top as a lid, and secured it with my bicycle tire tube pieces that i bring along for emergencies ... now i know why ;)
got a taxi to take me to Blue Parrot at 7:30 where i was to meet Sandra to take us to the Vet; ... we need to get there early to get 'in line'. ....i waited for about a 1/2hr and they showed up ... i was getting nervous ... a nice couple coordinate the World Vet visits and who are using their own money to help people get the animals neutered during the rest of the year when there are no clinics.
we take the cat in, and she talks with the people in the Clinic and leaves .... and i wait .... there are LOTS of people already there ... i am not the first customer in line :(
the Clinic is one room, it's hot in there, no A/C of course, with a couple of chairs for customers, a desk and a table ... everyone that comes in gets to watch whatever is going on at the table. ...so at least i wasn't bored. the Dr takes a lot of time with each customer, he spent 20min just talking to a woman about her options on her dog, who might have liver, spleen etc problems. she was an older woman ...probably my age:) ... whose husband was in the hospital in Houston and was very stressed over that and now having to deal with her poor old doggie who might have to be put to sleep ... i felt so sorry for her :(
in the meantime the Dr is taking phone calls, answering more questions, also taking the money, writing and explaining the Rx. there was one young boy that was helping him, clean the table, and carry the animals; and another guy and several women in and out, who were translating for the Dr., and assisting with injections ... dogs were tied up outside, yipping and barking ...it was kind of a zoo.
and i waited, wondering when it was my turn ... finally one of the girls asked me if i understood that the Dr does the neutering at the END OF THE DAY ... said she didn't want to 'sugar-coat' it for me ;( ...that i could leave and come back .... obviously not an option for me ...it is a 30+min drive one way :(
i can't believe that the people that arranged this for me, didn't know that ? ....they told me to plan to have to wait, but i never imagined this scenario ;(
around noon a guy came in with a dog that i had seen on the street a few days ago ... a nice friendly dog with a large growth on it's lip...i remembered that. he said he wanted the growth taken off, all her shots, wormed, and also wanted her spayed...the works ... i assumed he had just 'rescued' her from the streets ...he was told the same thing, that he could leave and come back at the end of the day.
as he was leaving, i asked him about the dog and that i saw it at West End, and was he going there, and would he considering giving me a ride home and bringing me back when both our animals were finished .... he said he would do that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!
so we left and at 4:30 he picked me up and we drove back to French Harbor ...
still a lot of people in there, and the 'poor' Dr still at work ... with some difficulty we both got some answers on our patients, from a different assistant, and got home around 6pm :) ...it really felt like a 'wasted' day, ...couldn't really do anything at home since we didn't know when we would be called, but it was better than sitting in that room all day ... and, ....that part of my mission was accomplished.
i've named her 'Splashes' because she was at the Splash Inn Dive Shop and ... she has 'splashes' of color :)
this is such a long story.... she stayed with me Wednesday, the night after the surgery, and since i had to give her 2 pills a day, and had no where to take her, ....she continued to stay and we became friends. she spent the first couple days in the bathroom when i wasn't home and under the bed when i was home, she came out to eat, but was still shy and went back under the bed again.
.... i put her on several Roatan FaceBook pages and walked into random stores, and asking random people in West End, trying to find her a home. Finally on Fri i got a message on FaceBook from a local woman, Eleanor, that has 2 kids that have been 'dying for a kitty' and she wanted to take her. Yippee :) ...
another woman, Olivia, has started the Roatan Animal Shelter, and i asked for her intervention to 'interview' the woman and see how she felt about her taking Splashes ... did i just give her up to a stranger? ... i'm getting attached now, she is a really sweet kitty, and i want her to have a good home. probably ANY home is better than being on the street, but i was feeling a bit protective.
by Saturday, Splashes had begun to trust me and had taken up residence on my duffle bag ...
and had full-run of the 'apartment', ...and was spending short amounts of time on my lap, purring :)
i am convinced she is the best kitty ever ... always used the litter box, didn't jump on the bed, was quiet, very sweet ...
on Sunday i made contact with Eleanor. we spent a lot of time 'talking' on line and it was obvious she didn't have much experience with kitties ... :( .... and i tried to arrange for her to pick up Splashes on Sunday; but neither of us had transportation , so we agreed for her to come on Tues at 3:30 ... this is really cutting it close, because i leave Wed, and will probably have lots of last minutes things to do,... but i agreed.
during the next couple of days...Splashes became more and more comfortable, ...acting very much like a happy cat and enjoying herself ... she has never known such comfort and safety i am sure.
in the meantime, you remember the 2 mommas and the 4 baby kittens ..... they are getting out more and playing and just as cute as can be ....
i'd been stopping into Monkey Island everyday, talking to 'Jonathan', checking on the kittens and their mommas, and making sure they were getting fed properly. i suggested they put a jar on the bar and ask for food donations for the kittens, and it was working :) ....
i thought one of the mommas looked pregnant again, and asked him if the kittens were eating on their own, and maybe now it was time to get both mommas spayed, before i left. he agreed, saying, ...'no more kitties' ... so i made contact again with Sandra, and she said it was doubtful that the momma was pregnant again; but we set up the same arrangement that we did with Splashes ... for Wed morning ... the day i leave! ...i'll go to Monkey Island Tues eve and make sure the mommas are secure, and then meet Jonathan at 7am, ... this is cutting it close .... but i don't need to leave for the airport until 9am ... :)
i checked in with Jonathan again on Monday and he said the momma, that really isn't the momma, was carrying the kittens out the door and under the porch ... and the 'real momma' was carrying them back again .... what is going on ???????
i spent Tues morning, my last day on Roatan, at the Marine Park painting signs, and the afternoon packing, and spending time with Splashes. i sent Eleanor a message around 1:30 telling what room i was in, and offering to meet her up by the road .... i saw the notation that she had 'seen' my message, but she sent me no reply... that make me a little uncomfortable .... by 3pm i was a bundle of nerves .... at 3:30 i started waiting ... 3:40 ... 4:30 ... 5:30 .... no Eleanor. i tried to call her, but i got some message in Spanish :( .... grrrrrrr
Finally at 6pm, in a panic, i sent a message to Olivia, and told her what was going on, and reminded her that i was leaving in the morning, and told her i felt absolutely 'helpless' ... i couldn't imagine putting Splashes back on the street now. i'm sure she could hear the desperation in my voice, and after a few comments back and forth, Olivia said, "i'll be there in 10min, i'm taking the kitty' .... you can imagine what relief i felt.
She arrived just as the electricity went out :( ...we sat in the twilight talking. she said she didn't usually do this, because she had no room for Splashes in the Shelter, but knew that i had really tried to find a home, and somehow felt that i was not just a 'bleeding heart' as she put it. ..she is also from Italy, is not married, has no children, and is feeding 50 cats every day .... so we bonded on those levels too :) ....in my opinion, she's my 'angel' ....
i also told her what else i had going on in the morning ... meeting Jonathan at 7am, getting the 2 mommas packed up, and making sure he made his way to meet Sandra to have them spayed at the Clinic. she offered to have a friend take the kitties to Sandra and take Jonathan out of the picture .... i felt relieved about that too.
after making all those arrangements, she expressed to me her concern about having the 2 mommas spayed at this time. she felt it was just too soon, the mommas would both be away from the kittens an entire day and night, and not feeling well the next day or so .... even though the kittens were eating on their own, they were still nursing, which could cause complications ... what if the stitches broke loose from the kittens pulling on them ... and since i wasn't going to be around to check on them, possibly Jonathan wouldn't know what to look for if there were any problems, complications, infection, pills to be given .... and that it could go very wrong, ...and they could die .... and ... really, they were 'ok' as they were. after listening to her ... i realized that i had not thought of all the consequences and readily agreed, ... it was just too soon, not the right thing to do; ... and really TOO MUCH for me! she offered to stop into Monkey Island and met Jonathan, and maybe make arrangements later ...
so, now i was completely relieved of all my responsibilities ... she cautioned be about taking on too much in the future, especially in a place where i had no support. she is absolutely right .... the process in Utila was such much easier, it just is not the same in Roatan. ...i think i've learned my lesson ... although, you know the saying .... 'in matters of the heart....' :)
when Olivia arrived i secured Splashes in the bathroom ... when we went into get her, she was laying on the shelf .... Olivia immediately said, 'oh, she is so mellow' ... :)
this is the last photo i took of her before Olivia took her away ... she looks sad :(
Tues night i stopped and explained to Jonathan that we had decided it was just too soon, and he agreed that waiting made sense .... i know he had no idea what he was in for, and i was not being realistic as to what to expect from a guy who has never had a cat before .... my bad !
my last night i cried; .... tears of relief, ...as well as a few thinking about Splashes and hoping she has a good life ...
and probably a bit sad knowing i was leaving in the morning .... :(
