I was going through a very rough time not long ago. It felt like things in my life were just falling down around me and I had no idea what to do. I reached out to a friend of mine who is a light worker, and she said she would send as much positive energy my way as she could that night on the full moon. I thanked her profusely and tried to muster up as much positivity within myself to keep carrying on.
A day went by. Things were neither here nor there. Nothing was getting better or worse. I told myself to wait, to have patience, and went to bed for another night of dreamless sleep. The next day was cold and dark with rain drizzling from the sky in spurts. During a break from the rain, I decided to put on my heavy parka and take some trash to the bin outside. Halfway down the back steps, I stopped completely in my tracks.
Beyond the chain link fence, behind a fallen tree limb, was a pair of big green eyes staring at me. The black shadow they belonged to stood still as we stared at each other. I slowly lowered the trash bags and descended the stairs, never breaking eye contact. I stepped closer and closer, expecting it to dart away into the woods, but it stayed. Once I reached the fence, I knelt and made kissy noises with my mouth, and that’s when this tiny kitten bolted toward me, squeezed between the fence, and into my arms.
I didn’t know what to do. This kitten was so tiny it fit right through one of the chain links. As it nestled into my arms, I cradled him with one and took my phone out of my pocket with the other, quickly texting my husband, “come outside do not bring dogs”. A moment later he stepped out. I turned to him and his eyes went wide.
“Can we keep him?” I asked. He nodded his head vigorously.
“Of course!”
“We need to bring him to a vet. Get the cat carrier, let’s see what we can find.”
He hurried inside and came back with the cat carrier stuffed with a blanket, and the tiny kitten put up no fight settling into the plaid fleece. We brought him to Banfield, but they had no time to see us that day. Instead, they referred us to a place a town over, who was happy to see us the next morning. We then made a quick run to a local store to get kitten food, wet food, a litter box, litter, and food bowls.
After a flea check told us he was clear, we gave him a gentle dawn soap bath. As he was wrapped up in my arms to dry off, he began to drift into sleep. That was until we opened a can of wet food, and his eyes snapped right open. The little KitKat began to eat. And he ate so much! We figured he had been outside this whole time that he was malnourished, and monitored him so he didn’t gorge himself. After he ate, he fell asleep in a little bed we made for him. We did some research and determined he was in fact a boy, and we named him Hermes.
That night, I slept out on the couch with him while my husband slept in the bedroom with our dogs. But when I awoke the next morning, he was out on the couch with me, snuggling Hermes close to his chest.
As we drove, Hermes didn’t complain at all. In fact, it seemed at this point that he liked car rides. A technician came to my car to collect him and brought him inside. I sat, with mild anxiety, for who knows how long. Playing on my phone, texting, listening to a podcast, I did anything to keep my mind busy. It seemed like hours before I saw the veterinarian step outside.
He walked slowly. I knew something was wrong.
“Are you Hermes’ mom?”
“Yes.”
“Okay so we ran some tests…”
He began to explain that Hermes had suffered an injury to his back right leg, and while he could walk he may slip from time to time. Of course, he had contracted some worms but with treatment would eventually pass them and it was harmless.
It was then his eyes grew dark with regret.
“He is positive for feline leukemia”
I felt my heart drop. All I could see was his little face with those big green eyes slowly drifting to sleep after finding safety in our small home. Instinctively I asked about treatment
“There is none.”
I went quiet.
“With stipulations and care, cats that are positive can lead very long and wonderful lives,” he explained. He told me Hermes could never go outside, be around other cats (of which we have two), and any health issues must be dealt with immediately. As soon as I knew there was hope, I told him to take care of all of the other afflictions. Hermes, the tiny little kitten, deserved a chance.
“It’s always the sweet ones that turn up positive,” he told me later as he explained that Hermes put up no fight and purred the entire time they tested and treated him. I talked to him the entire way home, as silly as I may have sounded.
I explained the situation when I got home. We decided that it was no question; Hermes would find his forever home with us. We turned the second bathroom into his “apartment”, complete with a bed, litter-box, and a small stationary cat toy. Since we have four other pets, this was going to take some fancy footwork, but it’s footwork we were willing to dance to.
It has been about a month now since we’ve had Hermes. In that time he has gone from a skinny, scared kitten to a fun-loving, playful, snuggling ball of joy and life who is fascinated by yarn, cell phones, computers, and who still LOVES to eat! We even introduced him to our German Shepherd, and they love to play together. He even gets little kisses from her! (Feline leukemia cannot pass to canines)
The first night we had him I spoke to my light worker friend, and I thanked her. I know it was her work that sent this little kitten to us. The lesson I’ve taken from this is that love is not only the answer, but also showing love and kindness to others can result in so many different miracles. So during tough times, let’s be kind to each other, let’s love each other, and watch the miracles unfold.
