kitten reunion

Templeton has been reunited with one of his kittens! I picked her up from the SPCA today, and the first thing she did upon getting "home" was lie down in her fresh kitty litter, with the ever-watchful Uncle Templeton close behind.
If you're confused about why I brought the kitten back, and/or would like to read an inspirational kitten story, please read on...

Picking the kitten up was quite an ordeal. First of all, I wasn't expecting to have to bring the kitten back at all. My mom had taken the kitten (and her sister) to the SPCA for homing over a week ago, before she and my dad left for the States. So since we hadn't heard anything in that time, we assumed that they would both be homed without any complications. But then I got a call from the SPCA yesterday, saying that they had too many cats at the moment, and that they thought she was too small for homing at present (she is the one who was malnourished and close to death when we got her, so her growth has been stunted as a result). I was left wondering why they hadn't thought she was too small a week ago, but of course agreed to go in to get her. My mom had dropped the kittens off at the SPCA in Saikung, so I took the bus out there this morning. The vet behind the counter seemed surprised when I told her that I was there to pick up the black and white kitten. I found this confusing, because the lady I talked to yesterday had insisted that I come in today before 11:00 am. The vet made a couple phone calls and then informed me that the kitten was in Wanchai, where all the homing services are done. And apparently I was supposed to know this; the lady I talked to on the phone said nothing about Wanchai...

So, picking up the kitten took a couple hours longer than I'd expected, I'm still a little unhappy with the SPCA and how they handle things, but the good news is that the kitten seems to have already found a home (and I don't mean mine)! Yesterday afternoon I got a call from one of our neighbors (who I incidentally have never met). He was calling for my mom, so our conversation almost came to an end when I told him she was out of town. Thankfully I inquired further, and it turned out that he had helped my mom catch the kitten (who'd been hiding in his backyard at the time). She was tiny, starving, and very very weak when he found her a few weeks ago, so he was calling to check on her progress. I told him about the SPCA situation, that I would be picking the kitten up the today, and how I was certain she could easily find a home. Then it struck me to ask if he wanted to adopt the kitten himself, and he said that that actually was the reason for his call. Isn't that amazing?! The timing alone is incredible. He has two dogs though, so isn't sure how the kitten (and dogs) will adapt. I have a good feeling they'll all get along great, but told him I'd be happy to let him try out life with the kitten for a few days before deciding. So he'll probably pick her up in a couple days. I'm hoping to get her fattened up a bit before he takes her... and a little bath might also be in order.