A Backyard Kitten, a Snake Bite, and $1,000 Later

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The things we do for cats. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m well on my way to full “Crazy Cat Lady” status.

Living in a rural area has its charms, but it also comes with a sad reality: people from town often drive out here to abandon their pets. That’s how I ended up with my last kitten in August, and apparently, it’s how another found me two weeks ago.

One afternoon, I heard crying in the backyard. A small stray kitten stood there, begging to come inside. With three cats already living under my roof—and a spouse firmly against a fourth—I left him outside while I searched online for an owner. No one came forward.

Then things got serious. Two days ago, I noticed the kitten limping, howling in pain. After calling at least ten vet clinics—all booked weeks out—I finally rushed him to an emergency animal hospital. Over $600 later, the diagnosis came: a snake bite, painful but not venomous.

I brought him inside to recover, much to the annoyance of my spouse and the dismay of my other cats. Just as he was beginning to settle, I found vomit filled with worms. The clinic I had gone to was closed, so I spent another day driving around, calling other vets who either didn’t answer or told me I’d need an appointment weeks away.

Finally, another emergency clinic saw him. He got dewormer medication, vaccinations, and tests for transmissible diseases to make sure he wasn’t a risk to the rest of my cats. The bill? Over $400.

So here I am, more than $1,000 lighter—for a kitten that technically isn’t even mine.

And yet, as I watch him heal, I realize maybe it isn’t about ownership. Maybe it’s about compassion, about stepping in when no one else will. If that makes me a little crazy, then maybe crazy isn’t such a bad thing after all.