The other day my phone rang and the gentleman on the other end told me about three kittens (quite young) found underneath his porch when the family returned from the holiday weekend. Knowing that I couldn’t take them, I made a phone call to the gal who wants to rescue and told her about them. I told her that one seemed to appear sickly to the family and they were worried about them, that they were about 4 weeks old and that is all I knew. She agreed to take them, and I went to pick them up- and oh my goodness! What cuties! A mackeral tabby girl, an orange boy and this other little gal who wants to be a tortie but smoke got in the way! I have never seen a cuter kitten- she has smoke and chocolate brown in her coat, intermixed with grays and the colors of a tortie- oh she is a doll! They looked okay for the short ten minutes I spent with them, although the mackeral tabby was very vocal all the way to the rescuer’s house.

When I returned home later that evening from work- there was a message that I call no matter what time. It was approaching midnight, but I called and I listened to the symptoms the mackeral tabby was displaying. She was smaller than the others- she wasn’t eating much and hadn’t pooped or peed. Several alarm bells went off when she said that the little gal was shaky, it wobbled when it walked and when it shook its head, she would fall over. Sure sounds like Wobbly Kitten to me- and this neurological disorder is no joke. Although initially it might look cute when kittens display these symptoms, once confirmed by a vet that it is wobbly kitten, the kindest act you can perform is to put the kitty to sleep. As it grows, it will slowly lose function of its motor abilities and this also includes the evacuation of the bowels. These cats are unable to hold their urine and poop and will let loose wherever they may be. Owners are usually so frustrated, that some will confine the cats to live in a cage in the garage or on the patio and that is no life for a cat.

She will be dropped off at the vets today for an exam, but I have prepared the gal for the fact that the kitten might not be coming home.

We have decided from here on in, that the next call- I will keep the kittens for 48 hours observation before turning them over to her- I well remember my first times rescuing and not knowing exactly what I was doing. Second-guessing my every move and praying over each action.

Rescuing is like walking a tightrope. You never know when that rope is going to break and reality will hit you full in the face or how hard you will hit when you finally do reach the ground.