It Was Bound To Happen

Well it was bound to happen. Kelsea and I were just minding our own business, finishing up a walk and at the very same time we hear this loud, disturbing cry. In unison we turn around and see this teeny, tiny kitten along the side of the road. We looked at each other and both thought “Crap”, feeling a little hoodwinked by fate. How she got there is a mystery, but we sure as heck knew that she didn’t get herself along the road. So we swooped her up and with reluctance brought her home. Reluctance, because neither of us wants a pet. I already have two little buddies waiting for me in San Diego. Thank you Jane. But what could we do? We are Peace Corps volunteers for Christ’s Sake. If we were capable of just walking on by we sure wouldn’t be living in Mauritania.

Anyway, she is staying Chez Moi until she gets on her feet. I wasn’t sure she’d last through the first few days but she seems to be thriving. We started her out on milk, which seemed to work, at least for the first few hours. But it quickly turned ugly. She couldn’t digest it. She exploded from both ends. She spent an evening miserable and whimpering. I wasn’t sure she’d last the night. The next morning she refused to take any more milk so I thought we were sunk. There is no such thing as Science Diet or Purina here in Atar. Possibly Nouakchott, but not Atar. Never mind a vet. Thankfully, I had one of those precooked chicken packets left from a lovely package from the US. So I rinsed off the teriyaki marinade and offered it to her. I wasn’t sure she was big enough, but let me tell you, she got one whiff of it and nearly took my fingers off. At first I tried breaking it up into teeny tiny pieces, thinking that it would be easier for her. No such luck, all she could accomplish was to push the tiny pieces around with her whiskers. She isn’t big enough to get her mouth around her whiskers. Now we go for big hunks, which she can get a hold of. I put the little pieces into water, which entices her to drink water. Thank god I have the fridge because I was able to freeze most of the chicken packet and can thaw enough for her to eat each day. This one little packet should last her 4 days. I am the parent of a new born. I can hear her screaming for me from the bathroom, which makes it a little hard to relax and concentrate on the business at hand. She is so small that I don’t want to leave her alone for more than a couple of hours at a time. I have no idea how we are going to care for her especially when the summer hits and it is so interminably hot. That is a bridge we will cross in a bit. As the days wear on, she and I are becoming thick as thieves. It is nice to have a critter over here that is not absolutely terrified of us. Thankfully, everyone in the region is devoted to her as well, so inshallah, we can work out a suitable living arrangement. For now, I am just trying to keep her alive.

Cheers from here,

Ps It is hot as blazes here. Someone said 50 C today.