Immediately, without any hesitation, I put the box in the car, because the kittens didn't look too good, and then we drove to the Baltimore SPCA.
Once at the SPCA the vet checked the kittens out, the 2 girl kittens were dehydrated and
hungry, but OK.
The little boy (Fatty McGee) had a dislocated lower jaw, was dehydrated and
seemed to have suffered an injury to one of his front legs (it was turned at a
funny angle). The vet believed that he had sustained these injuries from
the impact when the box he was in was perhaps thrown or tossed.The 2 little girl kittens were placed in a foster home until they were old enough to be adopted but what was going to happen to little Fatty McGee? The vet did not advise that any medication or surgical treatment be performed on Fatty McGee and asked me if I would like to care for Fatty McGee as a foster mommy. I said yes, not really sure what this would require, but already I was feeling very connected to this little kitten.
So my life with Fatty McGee started although at this time. I took him home with me, an apartment I shared with 2 other cats (Samantha and Lucy) and my roommate. He followed me ALL THE TIME. Honestly that is all he did, he mewed a small mew and followed me around like a
duckling. He would stand on his hind legs and place his paws on my legs until I picked him up. Then he would hug me tight around the neck and want to be carried around ALL THE TIME or else he would follow me.
And he could eat. He was a very messy bottle drinker. He loved water and always got in the shower with me (like I said, he followed me everywhere). He would look up at the water pouring down on him from the shower and just sit there and look at me. Even now, to this day, I catch him just sitting in the bathtub after I have taken a shower.
So this fuzzy kitten followed me everywhere and seemed to be totally convinced I was his
mommy, the people at the
SPCA decided to call him Oedipuss and this was his name until later when he
officially became Fatty McGee.So...you would think if you are willing to foster a kitten and are then willing to adopt him then it would be easy and you just could right? Not, however, in the case of the Maryland SPCA. They had a pretty strict rule about not adopting animals to college students and told me that in order for me to adopt Fatty McGee he had to go through an offical public "adoption day" at the shelter. If he was not adopted by the end of the day, then and only then could I take him home with me. I was frustrated by this policy since I knew that he was so adoptable. I loved this kitten so much and was very very very nervous that he would be adopted.
So...when adoption day comes along, he is placed in a small cage with the 2 girl kittens that he was found with, I looked him in the eyes and told him to "stay in the back of the cage, don't act cute and don't come forward to people no matter what". Then I parked myself near the cage and waited. Lots of people came by that cage and those 2 little girl kittens turned flips and purred and were so cute (they got adopted) but that little Fatty McGee kitten stayed in the back of the cage and didn't once approach the front.
At the end of that afternoon he was my kitty! I named him Fatty McGee.
Now Fatty McGee lives in an apartment in NYC with his kitty sister Samantha and his 2 people. Most of the day he spends lounging around the house. He loves Hill's Science Diet hairball control formula dry food and his treat is Hill's savory cuts beef chunks in gravy. He still loves to "hug" and sit in the bathtub. He can have long lengthy conversations with himself and he loves to announce his presence when he walks into the room. He is especially friendly after he wakes up from a long nap. He is easily frightened at loud noises and he gets very nervous around small children. When he is especially panicked he tries to run up the fireplace (he has been successful a couple of times and is covered in soot when I can eventually pull him out). When he gets dirty he stops cleaning himself and requires a bath (sometimes he pees in the bathtub!). His front leg is now normal and his eyes are fine too, sometimes his jaw pops out but it doesn't seem to bother him. He is the most Buddha Zen-like cat I have ever met. He loves to eat and if you are eating something he will get on your lap and purr and purr, almost as if he derives the same pleasure of eating by watching you eat. He is such a gentle giant, a real living teddy bear with fur made of clouds and he is definitely his momma's boy.
I love my Fatty McGee!!!