Posted by Kanga.
After work today, I went down to the Hilton Hotel to meet up with DaddyBird and our friend Wildpeeta, who happened to be in town. While sitting peacefully by the beach and enjoying ourselves, a stray kitten came by to see if we had any food to share. This is normal as there are several strays who find the hotel area to be a good source of food. She was quite friendly and not skittish in any way. She happily ate the remains of my chicken wing snack plate. However, I noticed that her eyes were both infected and she was not exactly in top health. If a stray cat loses their eyesight, that’s a death sentence, so I decided that we should help her out.
So, when we left, the kitten came, too. She didn’t much like being carried. She probably hasn’t had anyone impinging on her personal freedom that way so far in her short life. She began to meow, louder and louder as we walked through the Hilton lobby. Quite the drama queen. Once we got in the car and I gave her a little more freedom as long as she stayed on my lap, she clammed up and settled in.
Next stop, the veterinarian’s office. We explained that she was a stray that we found at the Hilton and that we were willing to pay for treatment for her eyes. She was amazingly patient through the whole exam, only vocalizing when the vet was poking his fingers into her abdomen to check her vital organs. She didn’t care much for the thermometer up the butt either. Can’t blame her. Once the poking and prodding was done, she laid up against me and began to purr.
The vet’s assistant kept asking for a name to put on the paperwork and I kept telling her it was “stray cat.” I am determined that we will not be adding a third to our household.
[It was also interesting to have a vet who was relying on his Filipino assistant for English translation. He was trying to find out the right word for the goop around the cat’s eyes and we heard him ask the assistant something along the lines of “what was the stuff coming out of the monkey?” and she said “puss.” Glad we weren’t there for the monkey exam.]
Treatment involved a shot and eye drops. We have to take her back the next two days for more of the same. They will give her wormer as well after she is feeling better . All of this cost us 327 AED ($89.00).
Since we have to take her back twice in the following days, we had to take her home. This is what Oliver and Bert thought of that:
However, Stray Cat was the first to voice her disapproval and gave them an earful. She and Oliver exchanged loud disagreement before we shooed him out of the room. Stray Cat is tucked away in the bathroom with all the food, water, litter box and comfy blanket she could need. After chaperoning her for a while as she got used to her new surroundings, I sneaked out while she was gorging on cat food. I figured she was distracted enough that I could get out. She meowed once when she realized I was gone, but has been quiet since, so I hope she is napping. We forgot to set up a web cam before tucking her in.
So, you might ask if I am adamant that we won’t be adopting her, what is the plan. It would be great to find her another home. If you (in the UAE) are willing or know someone else who could give her a good home, please let us know within the next two days. Otherwise, it is back to the Hilton where she knows the ropes and can fend for herself.
Here’s my sales pitch – She is a lovely light brown tabby. She is sweet with humans (not so much with other cats). She could easily become a lap cat. She purrs easily and is patient. She gave me a couple of love bites, but nothing aggressive. Through all the carrying, handling, and examining, she did not scratch or fight us. She is quite affectionate. She is not overly vocal, as our beloved Oliver the Loud is. (That should be the clincher.)
Addendum: Stray Cat was adopted by a lovely couple a week and a half later. She required more medical care and will always have a small problem with her eyes, but she is sure to have a good life. She is still spunky and thinks she is queen of the household.
