Gone Kitty Gone

 Yesterday was long, I held the tiny kitten close to me for warmth and comfort. I tried my best to get small amounts of formula into the kitten, careful that it didn't inhale it. Last night I took the kitten into my bed to feed.

Eddie changed his attitude toward the kitten. He was jealous before, but now he wanted to help me care for it. The kitten lay on my chest, near my neck and Eddie laid his sweet head on my shoulder, nose to nose with the kitten. If only our love could have made the kitten survive.

After a time, I put the kitten, still breathing, back into the bed I made for it. The heating pad was nice and warm, and I made a little hollow and put the kitten in it. I slept for a fitful hour or so and went out to check on my little charge. I was elated to hear a cry of hunger and carefully picked the baby up and offered the syringe with a drop of formula hanging on the end. To my utter delight, the kitten ate! Then peed. I was so excited, I almost woke the man from his slumber. 

The kitten ate until it wanted no more and pushed some formula out of his mouth and onto his little lips and chin. I cleaned him up and he nuzzled into my neck while I rained kisses on his tiny head. I tucked him in; I am so sure in my heart that it is male and then went back to bed myself.

I slept a couple of hours and got up to check on Martha, reincarnate. I went straight to the sink and began the prep of formula. I had not heard any squeaky meows emitting from the container that held my precious baby. I was scooping out formula to add to the warm water when I suddenly felt a creepy coldness come over me accompanied by such sadness. I went to the bed and found my kitten already gone and stiff.

I would like to think that my Martha was watching over the kitten and decided to give me a sweet goodbye by having the kitten eat his last meal and then cuddle with me. I put the formula away and dumped all the makings and started to clean up. I went back to bed and debated on whether or not to wake Drew. I let him sleep, why should both of us be sad?

My tender-hearted husband was sad when he woke and found that he would need to dig a grave again. My kitten is buried next to the little gray kitten that died on my watch. I saw Mama eating this morning. I asked her where she put the other kittens, and she refused to interact with me. We gave each other the stink eye and I continued hauling stuff to the RV.