How to fall in love and break your heart in 24 hours

This post looks back to a hike I did last fall.

I was taking a break from hiking and eating lunch halfway through my hike in a trail head parking lot. An SVU was idling with a man inside the driver's seat and two middle aged women standing outside by the trail informations board. I wasn't sure what they were up to; I thought maybe they just arrived back from the bike trails in the area and were resting. I took the last bites of my lunch, stretched and started to head in the oppose direction towards the trail. The women then head back to the car and the man gets out of the vehicle. He is bald and heavyset. He yells out to me, "Hey, you want a kitten?" hm I reply "What'd you say?" Upon a closer approach I see that neither of the three appear to be in outdoor garb. My first thought is this man must think I'm 16 and trying to kidnap me. Asking if I want a kitten? But indeed when I turn back around and approach, I see not one but two kittens. Then I say "I'm sorry I wish I could, but I really can't." The man throws some leftover pizza crusts to the kittens. Then he says well I guess they need some water too and takes out a pizzeria paper cup cut in half and fills it with water. He asks where I'm hiking to and if I've seen any deer. They don't say much else and then they get in the car and leave. Then I conclude they must have dropped the kittens here unable to care for them. Unsure of what to do I hike back the 5 miles to my car and ponder. I decide to drive back to the parking lot on the way out and feed the kittens a can of sardines I had with me as they seemed pretty hungry going after the pizza crusts. So I drove back and they were still there.

I feed them and give them some water. I start to wonder if they'll survive out there. My cell had drained it's battery just after my first encounter with the kittens so once it recharged at my car I call my boyfriend Jesse who confirms they won't survive alone in the woods and agrees I should bring them to a shelter. My dad is the type of person who doesn't like pets and would flip out if I bring one home so that isn't an option. I've had a pet cat and dog as a child. But nowadays the only pet we have is a stuffed animal in the form of a life sized dog. Cuteness doesn't tug at my dad's heartstrings. But Jesse volunteers to call the shelter, as I drive them home, to see if they're open.

At first they jump and crawl and hide under the seat in fear. Halfway home they finally settle down and even start purring.

I end up bringing the kittens home for the night and plan on bringing them to the shelter the following day. I keep them in the bathroom as I'm not sure if they carry any fleas or ticks on them and run to the store to buy a travel litter box and cat food.

When my parents return home from dinner, my dad has the expected reaction when he discovers the kittens in the house. But it is his house. I myself am like the kittens living in someone else's shelter so  I'm sorry that I can't provide them with a safe place to stay. The people abandoning them in the park left me with an impossible dilemma, especially considering that most shelters here are full to capacity.

They spend one night at the house and in that time they are a joy to play with. It is clear that they are house tamed and not wild at all, extremely friendly and playful. The smaller cat is feisty and aggressive and I name it Rocky. The larger kitten is more calm and relaxed and I name it Sweetie. They purr non-stop. They fight with each other. They clean each other.

Looking in the mirror

The next day I first bring them to a no-kill shelter who is unable to take them but checks them over and weighs them. They must be a certain weight to be taken in to be able to spay and neuter. They are still too small and am told they are just a couple months old. The woman was very generous though and gave me a cat carrier and de-wormed the kittens for free. She tells me the larger kitten is male and the smaller feisty one is female. I think she assumes I can keep them no problem until they are old enough. After checking all the no-kill shelters I bring them to the town shelter who is able to take them in and they assure me kittens are often adopted fast and they'll be fine. So I leave them there, grateful they are able to take them as I don't know what I would've done if not. I couldn't bring them back home with me. And I cry and feel my heart break because in that short span of getting to know the kittens I grew to love and care for them. I don't know why I cried so much, but I did. I checked in a few weeks later with the shelter to confirm that they've been adopted and they said they were placed. I was happy to hear that.

I questioned whether it is better to die in freedom in the woods with a short, but joyous lifespan or to be given the requirements to sustain a long life with food and water and shelter but under someone else's dictation. I hope Rocky and Sweetie got to stay together and that the home that found them was worthy of giving up the few days of freedom they would've had in the woods for the many years long rule-adorned comforts of a human home. I hope their new home gives them the comforts of shelter and food as well as the freedom of the outdoors to play in.

P.S....not sure why the videos upload at such high speed. I will post to vimeo as well.