Last night the call came that there was a cage open at PetSmart for the kittens. I thought it was going to be easy, truly I did. I got out the pet carrier and collected the original three kittens. Gypsy, Cowboy & Whiskey Nick. Their paperwork was already filled out and ready to go. I had even printed a nice picture of each of them and put the address of this blog in each envelope, just in case any adopters wanted to see pictures of their formative years. I put the packets on top of the carrier and got my car keys. When I got back into the room Domino was posted outside of the pet carrier, wearing her mom face.
"Say goodbye," I said turning to leave the room one last time "and no crying."
I didn't feel awful until we were actually on the road. At one point I turned to look at them in the carrier and all three of them were gazing back at me. When our eyes met, they all meowed in unison. That pretty much did it.
They went into the big cage at PetSmart without hesitation. The only one of the three that appeared frightened was Cowboy although I suspect he's bounced back by now, I hated every single minute of it. They all watched me walk away. When I arrived home with the empty carrier, Domino was still checking every room, calling out to them. She tried again around five this morning. The two little orphans are still here so they came running but of course, they weren't who she was looking for.
Now, after a long quiet day, she's taken to the pet carrier. This feline foster mom thing is brutal.
So two things: if you live in Nashville and are thinking of bringing a new kitty in your life, go to Cool Springs Petsmart, or actually check the Nashville Cat Rescue page for a whole host of choices I won't force my kittens on you but that's where they are, Cool Springs. Petsmart. Second, Tomorrow is Stella's third birthday. We may have to go over to the Cool Springs Petsmart ;-) and get her a present. I can't wait to tell you all about her new friend Dolly.
10 comments:
it would break my heart to hear her call out
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
Happy to report that Whiskey Nick is in our home being adored by our 4 children! I will also tell you that his new name is Marco Polo:). His brother Cowboy was also being adopted at the same time!
Dear New Family: Thank you so much. I'm so glad he didn't have to spend too much time in the cage. Stella and I dropped by for a little visit earlier today and they all touched noses through the bars although I'm sure it's against the law for dogs to be in there. We here at Carny Dog wish you all the cat love you can stand for many years to come. That boy is a huge fan of the cat tree/scratching post and will give you hours of joyful entertainment should you happen to have one. Good luck and thank you again. p.s. Marco Polo is a perfect name!
Our family adopted Cowboy on Thursday night. He is the first "real" pet for my nine-year old son. He thought that the name "Cowboy" was a good fit, so it will stick. We are giving Cowboy a lot of love, and he is adjusting beautifully to his new home. Thank you so much for taking care of Domino and her kittens. Also, thank you for the pictures of Cowboy.
To Cowboy's new family: Thanks to you also for giving Cowboy a wonderful new home. It was a pleasure knowing him for the short time he was here and I'm sure he'll make an excellent sidekick for your family. Feel free to peruse the archive here and snag any pictures you like for his scrapbook.Same goes for Marco Polo's new family. Enjoy
p.s. You all may already know this (forgive me if you do) but in my experience - a spray bottle of plain water, set on "stream" goes a long way toward teaching kittens what is unacceptable. They learn very fast so you won't have to do it more than a couple of times and if you're discreet, they'll never even know it was you.
Doing the right thing can be gut-wrenching. As a reward (and to help ease your pain), please pick a photo from my blog, and I'll email you the file. (Don't forget the grasshopper... under "insects.")
Please pat yourself on the back for not being a "collector" of pets. One of these people responded to an add I placed years ago to find a home for a young stray cat. I drove an hour to deliver the cat, but since the country mobile home was already bursting at the seams with dogs and cats, I refused to give them another one. (I took some flak for that.)
Susan, I just had to check your blog since it had been awhile and LOVED so much the story of Dolly and Stella!!! The pictures are so great and Dolly really is cute and clearly one of Stella's new best friends!!! I'm sorry I didn't read this earlier - I can't get back in the work groove thinking about the next story about the kittens.....I would have cried so hard when they all looked at me and meowed simultaneously...what a hearbreaking story with a good ending....you are just the best writer Susan and I'll be better about checking the blog more because I always get so much out of it! See you soon! Pam
We are the family that adopted Cowboy last Thursday. We returned to PetSmart on Sunday to buy kitty stuff, and we found that Gypsy was still there. We were having so much fun with Cowboy that we decided to adopt Gypsy, too. They are getting along together very well, and we are so happy to have them both in our home!
This is great news! Congratulations and thank you again. There is no doubt those two love each other. Once they're grown ups we'd love to see a picture now and again if you think of it. Meanwhile, here's hoping you all have many fun memories ahead. All the best.
Thanks for such a nicely written story.
Mom
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