Sasha, The Wonder Kitty

My Sunshine, (aka the tween who is attempting to see just how much of a pain in the butt she can be before I “flip out”) had always wanted a kitty for her birthday.

In approximately, October 2004 we went to the Humane Society with her and her grandparents (my mom and dad). Alexa went into the cat room and looked up and down the cages until she came to a cage with a handful of little, tiny, fluffy kittens.

One of the little female kittens came up to her, meowed and Sunshine fell in love. She decided to name her Sasha. The shelter recommended that at some point we take the kitty in to a vet for a follow up appointment. No sooner had we gotten into the car than the kitty started sneezing. After a few hours it was obvious she was sick.

We took her to our vet and we were told the kitten was probably only six or seven weeks old, definitely not eight. Also, she had a case of pneumonia. She was struggling to breathe, lethargic, and leaking mucus. My daughter was distraught. My mother, an avid animal lover, was distraught. But the women in my family, we do not give up easily.

The vet didn’t look positive but gave us a syringe, high protein kitty food and antibiotics. We stopped on the way home for a heating pad and vick’s shower tabs.

My mother and I, with my daughter watching and helping, cared for the kitten around the clock. We laid her on the heating pad and kept her warm, we steam treated her with Vick’s tabs to clear the airways, we dripped water and food into her mouth every hour to two hours, including through the night. We stroked her to keep her circulating and help the food and water get through her system.

The following day she was worse. We fretted. We worried. We continued our efforts. Sasha used life #1 that week and made a full recovery.

Shortly after her illness, we get a call in the morning from the humane society, bad news. A littermate of Sasha’s had tested positive with feline leukemia. They told us she needed to get tested, and were contacting the owners of the other littermates. By the time the next day rolled around, three of her littermates had tested positive. Again, we went to the vet with a heavy heart.

Sasha used life #2 that week and tested negative. She was healthy, happy and disease free.

A week ago yesterday, Little Bit (aka, my Aspie daughter) and I were leaving the house to go to daycare. She was ahead of me and went out the door first, the next thing I know, she is telling me Sasha got out. We have recently moved into a townhome. Sasha had not been outside in this area. I later learned that Little Bit was “dancing” on her way out the door and accidently left the door open longer than she should have.

My daughter drew pictures of her cat and posted flyers. We printed flyers with her picture on it and our phone number. The children rallied all the other children in the townhomes, making nightly explorations, calling for the lost kitty.

Yesterday, I had given up on Sasha. We had not seen hide nor hair of her. Half-way through the movie Watchmen and a bottle of Pinot Noir, we get a call from someone in the complex. They have heard a cat meowing from the water drain on the side of the road. My boyfriend and I went over immediately and there she was! My guy and another lifted the drain and out she jumped. I was so happy to see her. She came to me and I held her, but then she got spooked and ran off, leaving me covered in scratches. Oh, and boy did she stink… pew! But she ran straight to our house.

I have to believe that Sasha used life #3 this week. She is home, safe and sound and already feels like jumping on the Brodie dog.

Truly, our Sasha is a wonder kitty.