Chosen in a Time of Need

by Cat Smith
(Newcastle, OK)

This is the story of how I came to be the human of CeeAyTee ... my young new Siamese friend.

Tuesday October 17, 2011. I brought my neighbor in my apartment building over to see my Halloween lights turned on. While we were standing outside, I heard a young meow coming from under some cars an apartment or two away in our building.

My first instinct was to bend down, wiggle my fingers, and call out 'kitty kitty kitty'. It only took a couple calls before a young kitten was running straight for me, with a grown white feral cat in pursuit.

Next thing I know I'm holding this kitten who looked to be about ten weeks old, and quite skinny. I took it into my apartment and upon further inspection, it had a broken front leg and a laceration all the way around its back right ankle that seemed to go into the muscle itself. It was probably at least four days old, and looked like it had been cleaned.

I checked around my apartment complex, but no one I spoke with knew of this kitten, so I kept her.

Within two or three weeks of a full menu of all the Purina kitten chow she could eat and lots of fresh water (ok ... and some bowls of milk too), she very quickly tripled in size.

I'm estimating now that she may be five months or more in age. I thought she was in heat a week or so ago as she became extremely aggressive and obviously wanted to get outside.

Because of the other feral cats (we're in the country and people drop cats off out here quite often), I won't let her back out ... I don't see any obvious scarring or markings to let me believe she's been fixed.

I have been unemployed for three years due to the recession, and had no way to take her to a vet ... I was barely making my rent by borrowing from family every month.

So I tended to her myself, and she has healed beautifully. My problem is that although it looks like she has been cared for (clean, no fleas, although starving when I got her), I need to find a way to get her fixed, get shots, and get these razors (I mean claws ...) trimmed. They were trimmed when I got her.

I love her dearly already but need to get her medical needs met. Is there anyone in the central Oklahoma area (outside Oklahoma City) that might help me with the funds to make sure she is and stays healthy?

Also, would a playmate make her less or more aggressive? Any info would be of great help.

Cat and CeeAyTee

(Yes, there's two cats in the house ... a four-legged one and her two-legged human.)

Reply from Caroline:

Hello Cat and CeeAyTee!

First, congratulations on rescuing and tending to this needy kitty; it's good to hear that CeeAyTee is now a thriving young lady. It certainly does sound as if she's in season. Unspayed female cats can become quite aggressive.

Really, the best thing to do would be to have her spayed to make sure that she doesn't become pregnant, which in turn will stop her distress and 'calling'.
You asked about financial help for spaying and claw trimming, and I believe that PetSmart Charities has a low-cost spay/neuter program which might be helpful for you.

Enter your zip code in the box on the page to find the vet nearest to you - I tried it and there seemed to be a few vets in and around Oklahoma City participating in the scheme.

I also linked to a couple of articles on my own site about claw-clipping, which you can learn to do yourself, including an unusual idea from one of our readers!

I don't think it's necessarily a good idea to get another cat as this would involve even more expense for you. Cats are generally solitary creatures and although Siamese cats do enjoy company, even Siamese can be quite happy on their own - they tend to prefer human company to that of other cats!

I hope these ideas help you some, and perhaps we'll hear from other readers too.

Good luck!

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