Mittens the Maleficent Kitten

Oh my dear Mittens-the-kitten.  She's going to be something else. I can already feel it.

Mittens' mug shot

Just two days ago, I told the tale of how I found and adopted my tiny Mittens.  I shared with you how the name tag on that cage at the shelter generously and hopefully described her as "spirited".  Frankly, I had many other ways of describing her to friends and family, some of those ways were not G-rated.  Even so, I was counting down the days and the hours until I could bring my baby home from the shelter today. 

I had changed my schedule and prepared to drive that 40-45 minutes out of the way. As I was shutting down the computer at work and shrugging on my jacket, my cell phone rang.

"We have bad news" the shelter employee began.

Oh gosh.  I sat down expecting to hear that something had gone horribly wrong with the surgery.  

No, it wasn't that type of bad news, the woman assured me. In fact, Mittens-the-Spirited hadn't even had her surgery.  She had scratched the veterinarian prior to the surgery. And is now on a 10 day hold; in part to rule out rabies.  I scheduled the time to pick her up in 10 days.

Oh, whew, is that all? That was my initial reaction.  Then I started to think about it.  Rabies?  She had scratched me and drawn blood when I visited her.  And if she already had her rabies shot, and had been at the shelter 9 days at least, wouldn't they already know?  Do cats really give spread rabies through scratches? The questions spun in my head and something didn't seem right.

So I drove down to the shelter anyway.  Why not?  After all, I had already gotten to work an hour early today to cover the time I was leaving early. I might as well.

It turns out to be a legal thing, when an animal (I can't decipher whether this covers only shelter animals or all pets) causes injury, it must be held for 10 days for observation.  Yes, if my Mittens has rabies, she would have been showing signs by now.  Yes, she could have still had rabies even though she was recently vaccinated. But no, she's not showing symptoms. It is possible but unlikely to get rabies via a scratch. However, Cat Scratch Fever is more than just a Ted Nugent song, it is a disease and I should have had my scratch checked by a doctor. 

No, they don't think she was a feral cat.  She just "doesn't like to be held".  Those shelter workers sure know how to give generous descriptions.

I will still bring my Mittens the Maleficent home, in 10 days, provided she doesn't have rabies.  She still has to be spayed. And I wasn't quick enough to think to ask, what if she injures the vet during the next surgery attempt? Do the 10 days start over?  I sure hope not. Otherwise, she'll never get out of there.

TRIXIE Pet Cat Tree

I don't feel the need to have a lap cat. So I'm not concerned that she doesn't like to be held. I am a smidge concerned she gets agitated easily and I am concerned that she will not be happy in a home with Willy, my active dog.  I am already shopping around for a cat tree or house to help her have her own space.

So please, cross your fingers and hope that my spirited Mittens will behave and will be able to come home in 10 days.  


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