Raggedy Kittens

The old man not only did not feed the kittens last night, but he turned them out of the garage cage. I said, "Where are they?" He motioned to the camper shell.

Inside, three extremely ill kittens huddled against an older kitten, sneezing and gasping for breath. Their mother had given up on saving them, and left all three to their last horrible slow days of suffering.

"Bring me your carrier," I said, resigned inside myself to what must now be done. I crawled into the camper shell and stole all three from their desperate end.

This isn't a pleasant easy colony. This is a nasty situation, full of complications.

How does one turn off one's sight and attached brain to dying kittens?

The old man's content with burying dead and dying kittens. Like a soldier accustomed to it. Content with the duty. Given over to "it's the only way".

Well, it isn't the only way, damn it. It isn't.

Change the whole world! Deliver us all from evil. UPSET EVERYTHING! Turn the whole world on end and chart a new course for our world's future. And accomplish this great feat by the simple act of saving a suffering kitten!

It's easy.

Lolligaggers! Nonbelievers! Lazy souls content to watch the downward slide! (It's the only way).

I despise them all as pathetic.

Save the kittens. Save the world.

They're here now and fighting and me with them. They want to live. I don't know if they will live, but they want to and I will do what I can. I won't roll over and bury their will in a forest of others given up on easily. Life is precious.

UPDATE: They've been in a rabbit hutch on a heating pad and with an infant vaporizer going for forty minutes now. The open mouth gasping has turned to sneezing, which is a good sign, I think. I wormed them and started them on amoxi, too, and applied antibiotic ointment to their eyes. Maybe they will make it. They've been sick for a long time. I saw them in the blackberries the time I found the kitten I thought was dead, but wasn't quite dead yet. I couldn't catch them, but I tried to do so. That other kitten, who died later that day, was so starved. I never thought they'd still be alive by this time, ten days later. How could they be? They have strong hearts is the only way it could be. Very strong hearts and desire to live.

They are an orange tabby boy, a long hair torti and a short hair torti. Cross your fingers for them. I didn't want to take in more kittens. I didn't want to. Didn't. Didn't. Didn't.