Ford

I kept hearing a noise at night in my bedroom. I thought some animal was in our walls and was very upset at the notion! I asked Clint to see where he thought it was coming from, but it would stop the noise every time! I was frustrated! No one else could hear it except me! I looked where I thought the noise was coming from but could not find anything. 

Finally, it made noise where Clint could hear it and kept making the noise long enough for him to find it. In the back of our closet, well hidden, was a single newborn kitten!!! 

The poor kitten was cold and dehydrated. I had to give emergency care right away.

Beside it we found the shriveled up umbilical cord which falls off around day three. I know I had heard the noise for two nights. The area was clean of signs of birth, so we knew the kitten had not been born there. 

All of our cats were spayed except for one who had kittens about six weeks earlier. BUT...

We had a cat who desperately wanted to be a mother. She would steal other cat's kittens and try to take care of them. We think she stole a kitten from a litter of a neighbor's cat! I guess when it was too much for her, she snuck in through an open door and hid it in our closet. Not knowing who or where the mother was, we decided it was up to us to give that tiny life a chance. 

We warmed it and bottle fed it. It was so weak trying to eat! I warned the children that I did not know if it would live. It ate and grew in strength over the next several hours. For a few days we were feeding and cheering the little one to health!

Then, we asked Miracle to care for it. She is a special cat with a special history and name. She has also, at times, been the biggest pain in the butt, but despite that, we all are fond of her. 

We moved her kittens out and put the pathetic little baby against her stomach. She looked at it. She looked at us. She sniffed it. Then, she started cleaning it vigorously from one end to the next. It nestled in against her and found a teat and began to drink. Her milk supply had dwindled since her older kittens had been weaned, but it was just enough for the tiny kitten. That was the last thing we had to do for the kitten. Miracle raised it as if it was her own.

Brandon grew attached to the little fighter with a rough start. He let Amanda name him "Ford" and had him neutered. Clint and I prefer for cats to be outside, but Brandon petitioned us to let the cat live in his room. Ford, a "specially delivered" cat, has been a joy to all of us!