Pets for kids: The gift that keeps on giving
I knew we were in trouble when my daughter asked Santa for a kitty. We always try and deliver on our kids' top wish if we can, so my wife and I began planning.
A quick call to the Broward County Humane Society presented us with our first challenge — closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. How in the world will we hide a kitten for 36 hours?!?! Luckily, my first call was to my father who lives in Pompano Beach and he agreed to host our newest family member until Christmas morning. Now to pick a kitty...
I have to admit that we spend quite a bit of time at the Humane Society. My wife and I jokingly refer to it as the "free zoo" because we'll go there to visit puppies and kitties and then hit Bass Pro Shops to see the tarpon. Since I know my way around the place, I went straight back to the cattery to find the youngest and the cutest. The first two brought into the visitation room were adorable, but very nervous and scared. I was ready to take them both due to the cuteness factor, but decided to meet at least one more. I knew as soon as the volunteer placed her on my lap that this was the one. Loud, frisky, and VERY friendly, she immediately climbed up my shirt to nudge my nose and perch on my shoulders. At that point I took the photo you see to email to my wife for approval. Done.
I learned from the volunteer while I was filling out all of the paperwork that "Snowflake", as they called her, had a cold.
She had sneezed a few times while I was holding her, but I didn't think anything of it. The volunteer presented me an antibiotic to give to the kitten twice a day, and explained that my adoption covered vet expenses for 14 days. I didn't give it another thought, and drove our newest family member to my dad's apartment.
When Christmas morning rolled around, our perfect plan went off without a hitch. My father arrived early enough to see the kids wake up and witness what Santa had brought. Everyone opened all of their presents, and then dad went out to let the kitten in the back door. The kids were busy playing with their new toys as the kitty slowly trotted into the living room. Everyone went nuts. My daughter scooped her up saying, "Santa knew I wanted a kitty!" Almost immediately my daughter announced the kitten's name would be "Lucky".
This is where the fun begins. Remember that "cold" I told you about? Lucky seemed a bit lethargic, so on the 26th our first stop was the vet. Long story short, we have pumped more meds into this poor kitten than I have in all 3 of my kids. Everything from eye drops, to nose drops, to nebulizer treatments. She wouldn't eat, and at one point we even thought we might lose her. My wife was a wreck from administering all the drugs and keeping Lucky away from our other cat. My daughter was in tears when we had to prepare her for the worst-case scenario. Quite a rough first week for my little girl's Christmas wish.
The good news is that Lucky is on the mend. After days of hand-feeding her baby food, she is finally eating regular cat food on her own. She is running around playing with toys, and most of the meds have finally run their course. I have to give a shout out to everyone at VCA Central Park Animal Hospital for being so awesome through this whole experience. The doctor would call regularly just to check in. Can't beat that kind of care. Our newest family member truly is Lucky.
Sorry for the crazy long post, but I had to get this story off of my chest. Anyone else have any wild pet experiences to share?
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