Bella the Kitten: Hello and sadly, good-bye

As you might have read in our Christmas post, we had a sweet and helpless visitor the day after Christmas.  A tiny, frail and very hungry injured kitten wandered into our carport when we opened the garage door.  We were in a hurry as Jake and I were supposed to teach Anna's class but we knew that little kitten needed some food quick.  I got her some milk (didn't know that you aren't supposed to feed kitten milk!) and she drank it up.  We left for church not knowing if she would still be there when we got back.

I think this sweet kitten realized that finding a house with four little kitten-loving girls might be a good gig so she was still there when we got back.  I could then google what to feed a kitten if you don't have any cat food.  I had some cod, pulled out some meat chunks in some leftover chili we had and gave her some grated cheese.  She liked all of it.  She perked up a bit and played with the girls.  She had an injury on her side with a scab where I figured a big cat had picked on her.

Later in the afternoon (after some warnings by Jake on what happens when you buy cat food - it stays!), we sent the girls down the street to buy some cat food.  She was really winning all of us over at that point and the girls named her Bella.

She was strictly an outside cat as I worried about my allergies.  The girls spent a lot of time playing with her outside and letting her nap on their laps (she really liked that).  She also discovered that there was a magical safe world just past that big door and now made big efforts to try to run inside.  We still kept her outside.  Then I would let the girls bring her into the foyer with the door open.  So they would set up board games on the floor right inside the door.  Gradually she spent more and more time inside during the day. 

The evenings were getting tougher and tougher.  Jake and I would feed her one last time before we went to bed.  She would perk up after eating and get in a very, very playful mood.  She would chase her tail, chase our toes, chase her toys and chase her shadow.  We got a kick out of watching her and playing with her.  Then.....  it would be time to say goodnight.  The girls had made a cardboard home for her but she wouldn't use it much.  Jake suggested that they make her a smaller one with a smaller hole so that big cats couldn't get in there (there are several big, mean cats in our neighborhood).  She liked her new house very much for a week or so until she found a better hiding spot.  One night during dinner we heard cats hissing and yelling at each other.  All six of us jump up from the table and run outside.  Poor Bella was being picked on by a very big cat.  She was so brave and was hissing back at it.

After Jake and I would say goodnight to her and leave her outside, we would turn off all the lights and watch her from the window.  Poor, poor thing would meow at the door.  Then she would go to all the doors and windows that she could reach and meow at them.  Lastly, she would give this terrified look at the dark and dash off to find a safe hiding spot (in the box at first, she also discovered a favorite hiding spot in my engine - but I worried she would get hurt so I stopped parking in our garage).  She found two hiding spots in our yard that she liked - one was behind some bricks and the other was under the lawn mower.  Jake and I just felt terrible about making her sleep somewhere where she was so scared.

So-oooo one night we gave in and let her sleep inside.  She curled up on a blanket in our family room and slept peacefully.  That same night there was a big cat fight outside our window.  Jane heard it and ran terrified into our room worried about Bella.  She was so relieved to hear that we had let her sleep inside.  We were also so glad given the fighting going on outside as we knew that Bella's only defense was really to hide.  So now we have an inside cat!

My allergies were definitely being affected but it wasn't as bad as it could be (she is a short-haired cat which helps) and for some reason some cats just affect me more than others. I have a friend here in Abu Dhabi and I am so allergic to her cat that I can't even go to her house anymore - even for five minutes.  Thankfully Bella didn't affect me like that.  But it was enough that we talked about it and decided for sure that we were just fostering Bella until we could find her a good, forever home - which given the amount of cats in Abu Dhabi (TONS!), we knew could be a difficult job.  We also talked about how it would be easier to find a home for Bella while she is still little.

We started putting the word out and weren't finding anyone who was interested until we go to church and Meredith and Jane start telling one of their friends about Bella.  It turns out that after much asking, cajoling and begging, the three kids of a family we know had finally convinced their parents that they could have a cat.  They had arranged to get one from a friend of a friend but just the day before, the cat owner decided she didn't want to part with the cat after all and was keeping it.  So it worked out so well that we crossed paths on that day.

The new family came to get the cat the night before Jane's birthday (sorry, Jane) and Regan and Jane were just beside themselves.  Jane because she missed Bella and Regan because she was so worried about Bella being scared in a new place with new people.  Those sweet girls...  Even Anna decided she should get into the crying part while Meredith looked on in bewilderment.

From all reports, Bella is thoroughly enjoying her new home.  They are traveling in March and we've already offered to cat-sit those two weeks so we look forward to a reunion then.  We're also planning to visit Bella in a few days.

Bella on Day One getting some much needed food

Sweet, tiny scared little thing.  So happy to have found a safe lap

Her favorite spot - napping in someone's lap

Look how happy Anna is getting to cuddle Bella

First trip to the vet to get her checked out (along with Meredith's good friend Alicia who was visiting from Beijing).  No vaccines on this visit until they make sure she isn't sick.  The vaccines she got on our second visit made her very tired and she slept a lot when we got home.

She loved helping take down the Christmas tree

One night we couldn't find Bella when it was bedtime.  Look where we found her!  Another night we found her in Anna and Meredith's bed.  She would stay downstairs after we fetched her out of their beds (thank goodness!)

Taking the Christmas tree down

Exploring the DVD player shelf

Out like a light snuggled with Baby Bella (what we called this stuffed cat that looked a lot like Bella).  She would sleep so soundly - often like a baby with her front legs over her head.  It made me happy that we brought her inside as I know she was able to relax inside in a way she never could outside.

Time to say good-bye.  Alban & Keren are very excited about a new kitten.  Regan was crying too hard to get into the photo and I only just coaxed Jane out of her room as I thought she would be sorry if she didn't get to say good-bye.  Lots of tears after they left though.