Surprise! I accidentally rescued a kitten

It’s late at night at the end of June and I’m laying in bed with a book when I hear it:

The echoing, distressed calls of a cat outside my window.

I lean out the window and look everywhere. Is it trapped on a rooftop? Stuck on a balcony? The sound echoes and I can’t quite triangulate it. So downstairs I go with a ladder and a flashlight. I join two men on the street looking for the source of the screaming.

With a growing crowd of neighbors outside searching, finally someone realized it was coming from a car parked on the street. A very dirty kitten had wedged herself in the undercarriage and was crying for her mom.

We tried cat food, kitten noises, and at one point she almost came to me. I could see her little face as she reached a tentative paw down.

And then men around me, well intentioned but absolutely wrong, decided to tackle the problem by trying to scare her out of the car. As you might guess, this just scared her further in.

My neighbor and I sent everyone away and promised to come back for her when she’d had time to get less scared.

That time was 5 a.m. the next morning. Me in my grime-covered pajamas (re-donned in the morning because why dirty another outfit) laying on the pavement with a bowl of chicken, a phone full of kitten cries, and a towel and carrier at the ready beside me.

With no men and very few cars, kitten came down quickly searching for the source of the kitten noises. I assume she must have had siblings and been missing them terribly.

It took time for her to take chicken from my hand. It took even more time for her to decide to explore the bowl of chicken, which was quite close to me.

That was my chance to grab her.

Once I did grab her, there was a small hiss and then–relief. She surrendered. She went into the carrier and hid there. And as soon as I took her into the bathroom and gave her fresh water and more chicken, our friendship was easily sealed.

And so began my accidental kitten fostering adventure.

Two days of bathroom quarantine. Flea treatment. Then de-worming and slow introduction to other parts of the house. Weight gain. Playfulness. Moments of sneaking over to snuggle the dog while she sleeps.

As I’m writing this, it’s been a week. She’s doing much better. She started around .8 of a kilo and now she’s almost 1 kilo. She’s stopped trying to suckle my arm (which likely means she’s not feeling so hungry). And she’s feeling safer and safer to explore each day.

Because I wasn’t expecting this, I wasn’t really prepared for the financials, so this is the part where I say if you have the means and the heart to do it, we’d love some help covering kitten’s expenses.

Our current spending numbers include:

Original food, treats, vet assessment, flea treatment, de-worming, litterbox, and litter: 95.80 EUR
+ 4.68 Bolt to vet (vax visit)
+ 4.68 Bolt from vet (vax visit)
+ 51.60 Vet (vaxes, assessment, de-worm part II)
+ 92.50 Vet (Luna allergy shot since she is apparently allergic to kitten) 😭

TOTAL: 249.26 euro

This does not include her next vet visit for second vaccine dose and third de-worming pill and it doesn’t include the additional supplies or spay appointment, so feel free to go above and beyond. If we exceed the number for her care, that money will go to another animal’s care or to her future care.

We’ve already raised enough for about half her expenses (thanks to those following me on socials!) and I’d love help with the rest from anyone who is able and willing. You can use the Buy Me a Coffee link here on the website to contribute. Just note that it’s for kitten.

Thank you in advance.

And if you want to track up-to-date numbers on expenses and donations, follow on Facebook or Instagram. I’ll be doing updates.