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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Warm Fuzzy Situation

I'm a sucker for warm fuzzy things. At the shopping centre yesterday I snapped this shot with my phone. There were 8 puppies asleep in a warm fuzzy pile at the pet shop. Thankfully this pet shop takes great care of their animals, so I could happily admire their cuteness without worrying about their welfare.It was a different situation when I got home. I was unexpectedly greeted by two hungry kittens. They ran across the footpath to me, then took shelter under my car. Their owner had been in hospital for a few days and these little things were craving attention--and food. I shared my chicken with them and had to quickly extract my fingers to stop myself being eaten alive! While this was happening, their owner came home from hospital with her sick baby. She told me she couldn't keep them--they would have been sent to the cat "protection" society with a very small chance of being adopted. Despite loving their feline furriness and being concerned for them, I couldn't take them in. I have two dogs who love cats--to chase! And I'm allergic to cats myself. When I'd fed this pair and put a box with a blanket out for them to sleep in, I went inside to placate my indignant canines and take some antihistamines to control my itchy eyes and nose. But I couldn't get the kittens off my mind. I decided I'd rather be the neighbour from hell than find them cold, hungry, or worse, dead on the road. My other neighbour is a cat lover from way back. I knocked on her door and told her the story. She agreed to take them in. The deal was settled when the kittens saw us talking in the driveway and ran over the road to say "hello" and see if there was any more food. Within seconds the youngest kitten was tucked under M's chin, purring away. A minute or two later that kitten had transferred to her partner's arms and M was picking up the older--still only half-grown--cat to take him inside. That left me free to feed myself and my pets without worrying about the little feline orphans.
Now I have cotton dyeing on the kitchen bench, chicken stock on the stove and silky wool waiting for my attention on the wheel. Having settled the affairs of the animal world, I'd better get back to work on my fibre world.

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