14 Feb--My Little Valentine !

Tues, 14 Feb ... Valentine's Day ... got an email this morning from Trish, ... she said they were going to catch the cat they have there and spay her this afternoon ... and if i could get permission from the kitten's owner, the Vet would do both of them. if not, the Vet is leaving the island for Continuing Ed in the States ... i know this little kitten is pretty close to full term ... she'll never make it til the Vet returns and has her next open clinic ... i immediately went to the store, and with my spanish, the young girl thought i wanted one of the kittens when they were born ... i finally talked to a man who spoke English and i explained. .... he had to ask his wife. ....she said she didn't want the cat, that she just showed up and they have been feeding her. .....i explained to him that the cat probably wasn't going to go anywhere because she thinks this is her home ... (she's in the store all the time) ... and soon they would have many more cats to feed. .... he explained to his wife, and she said ok ! :) the daughter found me a box and i easily put her in it and took her to my room. then i let her out ... well that was a mistake..... with 2 double beds and 1 twin ... there's a lot of space for a kitten to hide under . !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...like ring around the rosy! .... i tried to coax her for awhile, then decided to just let her get comfortable. about an hour later i tried again ... and with some difficulty finally got her ... the floors here are dirty... or were, i think i've wiped them clean now :) ...she never once hissed or tried to bite or scratch me i put her back in the box w/my heavy backpack suitcase on it and put it in the bathroom since i had to go to talk to the Whale Shark people about volunteering. ....but the woman had something unexpected come up, so i'll have to see her another day. when i came back to the room, the kitten was loose inside the bathroom; ... strong and determined little girl. ...after awhile i brought her back out on the bed while i'm typing ... she just purrs and purrs ... and begs for attention ... then took a nap ... got another email from Trish and we are all set. i'm going to 'assist' with the surgery, coz the vet's husband is busy, i'll go there about 2:30 today ... i'm pretty happy about this ..... she will have a much happier life after tomorrow. i was going to go snorkeling this pm; but this is much more rewarding ! i ran out and got something to eat and around 2pm started preparing her box and securing it with .... bicycle tire tubes that i brought with me :) ...that's why my luggage is so big and heavy ... i'm prepared for anything! ..... i took the back roads up to BICA to avoid the traffic. i thought the noise might bother her, but in reality, she is probably used to the noise ... it's just ME that isn't :( the Vet showed up around 3pm and we went to work ... well, she went to work, and i helped where i could. she did the other cat first; then the kitten. when she took her out of her box, she said, 'whoa... she is close'. ..... i guess she could tell more by her mammary glands once she opened her up. she had 3 large kittens in there ... we were just in time. i'm kind of surprised at myself, ..... it didn't bother me that much ... i just know those kittens would not have had a good life on this island; and it really would have taken a toll on little momma because she was so young herself... and none of the cats around here are very healthy to begin with, so i'm sure she isn't either. .....plus, i had watched the Vet in Panajachel do the same operation, so i knew what was going to happen. you don't even see the babies. ..... ok, sorry .... TMI for some of you ... so so anyway after the surgery the patients were still really 'out' .... she asked me to stimulate them by petting them firmly, kind of roughly, .....to make sure they kept breathing, until the drugs wear off a little bit. she said they may be out most of the night ... i'll have a kitten on my bathroom floor tonight ..... oh ... i've named her .... i know that's dangerous, but i couldn't help it ... her name is Valentine ... she's my little Valentine :) i went down the road for dinner. the special tonight was Beef Fajitas, US$5. had a rum and coke and my food arrived. the beef was tough as shoe leather, good thing i have strong teeth. i knew it would be tough, but the flavor of the rest of it was good, carmelized onions and other veggies. i was anxious to get back to the room and check on Valentine. she was fine, starting to come out of it a little. ......she'll be fine in the morning.