Caturday the Sad

The story of this kitten is a sad one. If you don't want a downer story on this day, then read no further.

I volunteer at an animal shelter. On a Saturday evening, a stray kitten had limped into a friend's yard. She put him in a crate, gave him food and water and a litter pan and called me for advice.

I went out and looked at the kitten. He could barely walk; he was walking on the top of the paw on one rear leg. When he tried to put any weight on that leg, the back part of his body slumped to the side. I spent the next while texting among some other people who volunteer at the shelter and with another rescue group. The decision was made that we'd get the kitten to the shelter's vet, take care of whatever needed to be done, and then foster the kitten for adoption.

Good plan. But the poor kitten had a badly broken pelvis. Sometimes, given good care, a fractured pelvis will heal. The vet thought that the kitten's pelvis was too badly broken for that. (I don't need to tell you the rest, do I?)

The vet thought that the injury was consistent with the kitten being run over by a car or a truck. So someone had to have run over that kitten and then left him there to die. Worse is to contemplate the real possibility that some sadistic asshat deliberately ran over that kitten.

I don't know anyone like that. If I ever do meet somebody like that, I would hope that they are either in an orange jumpsuit and shackles, or it's over the front sight of one of my .45s.

There are times that I hate people.

Kitten, I'm sorry that we couldn't do more for you other than provide a little safety and comfort for your last days. May you forever run free in the fields over the Rainbow Bridge.

And to the asshole who ran over the kitten: If you did that on purpose, may you spend eternity with hungry badgers gnawing at your taint.