When I got Loki I automatically figured there was no way I would ever be able to have a pet feline. The idea of having a cat and a bird conjured up ideas of Tweety Bird and Sylvester; these two just cannot co-exist, I thought. I’ve always loved animals and grew up with a kitty named Mariah, so this realization was a little rough, but I love my Loki so much and figured this was in her best interest. I didn’t want to cramp her style and confine her to a cage all day because a cat is in the house.
Fast forward four years. My boyfriend, Corey and I are driving home after a weekend at my parent’s lakehouse for Memorial Day. Corey slams on the breaks believing he sees a rat, but what he has actually spotted is a very small kitten. We pull over, and naturally, being the animal lover I am, I get out to see where it went. We are on Highway 27 and about two hours from home. The little kitten scampers into the dense brush behind a barb wire fence. I can’t spot it but I follow the meows. The sad cry for help gets closer and I bend down to finally catch a glimpse of a kitten in really poor shape. She is behind the barb wire and only one of her eyes is open. I cannot reach for her; she is too far back behind the fence. She looks terrible; not cute at all. She looks like she may have mange. I figure if I can get her to come out, I will take her to a shelter because I cannot keep her with Loki. So, I summon my best momma meows and within a few seconds I am greeted by the sweetest, most appreciate tortie kitten.
I look down at the small kitten sprawled across my lap. She is so tiny and doesn’t look good. Corey keeps telling me she may not make it, but I don’t entertain such negative thinking. I know she will survive, she must. I have saved her and she will live (yes, I’ve always been a positive thinker and yes, I think it has made my world a better place). Loki is in the car of course. In the backseat, in her travel cage and I wonder what I should do with this kitten. It is late Sunday afternoon and by the time we get home no shelters will be open. This girl needs help today. I have Corey drop me off at Banfield Hospital (PetSmart) and take Loki home for me.
Fleas, severe eye conjunctivitis (one eye is so bad it may not recover), a yeast infection in the ears, and a respiratory infection. That’s the long list of afflictions the vet tells me are plaguing this little animal. Choxie, as I have decided to call her is approximately four weeks old and should still be with her mother. The vet warns that she may not make it. I have to decide what to do. Do I pay for her treatment? Do I keep her? Will this be an issue for my first baby, my cockatiel Loki?
I pay the $375 it costs for the antibiotics she needs. Hands full with kitten formula, litter, meds, and small cardboard boxes that cat food usually comes in (these will be used as her makeshift litter box until she is big enough to use a regular sized box). It is pouring outside and I struggle with a squirming kitten. She is so small, I place her in my huge purse (see, those big, totally-in bags have a purpose) so I can jump in Corey’s car.
I take her out and look at her little face. Our new kitten, Choxie is going to need a lot of care: feedings every four hours and three different types of medicine, twice a day. I hope Loki is ready for this new addition to our home. I am still worried about bringing a cat to live with a cockatiel, but I could not abandon Choxie. She is part of the family now. And, so the adventures of Loki the cockatiel and Choxie the tortishell kitten begin.
