The short story is that I released the kitten after her recovery then trapped the extremely feral cat we thought was her mother. That cat, who saved the kitten's life and doted on her, turned out to be male and Feline Leukemia Positive. He could not be released back into the "wild", he was not a cat who could be domesticated and the consensus among the veterinarians was to euthanize him. It was one of the worst things I have ever had to do and he is buried out back under his favorite bird hunting spot.
The kitten had to be isolated and tested for Leukemia at three and again at six months. The original plan was that the studio was going to be a cat free zone. Well, I thought, OK, six months. She sat at the front door and watched for her parent cat for weeks.
But here she is as a wild kitten...
... scrawny and flea bitten.
And here she is, a month or so later, helping with art history research.
Fourteen months later, she is as much a part of this studio as I am. She has it made, is content, thriving (Leukemia free) and, I admit it, I am head over heels in love with her.
What can I say? I mean, look at her.
To paraphrase Jean Cocteau, the cat is the soul of the studio made visible.
9 comments:
Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos, Tallulah is a real beauty, and a lucky kitty, too :)
How could you ever think you would be able to resist this charming creature?... She is just beautiful and adorable.
Tallulah is a great joy every single day!
I love the story and the cat. Irresistable, for sure!
Suzanne, thank you for all the recent comments on my blog. I wish we had been able to meet and maybe take a ride down the Cape together. I went to the post about Tommy, which brought tears to my eyes. Your compassion and love toward this sweet creature just hits me where I live, so to speak.
I see this is not the first time you've been faced with an FIV pos feral cat. I applaud your guts to deal with the feral cat population and also the ones killed on the road. It was sweet that you gave Tommy a name and a presence and a loving hug at the end. Thank you for that too! Be sure to warn me in advance next time you are coming this way.
well, so I can mark my calendar ;)
Proof reading is a must :D
Oh my, yes, I would keep this cat in a heartbeat! I can see how you were powerless to resist. I hope you get rid of the virus soon! And, hopefully the games are gone for the moment too!
she is lovely...and i really like her name!
Lovables! I love cats :)
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