The Incredible Story of Pumpkin
About three years ago, my wife and I were driving in Jackson. I saw something white out of the corner of my eye moving in the grass. It was a tiny black-and-white kitten, chasing some sort of insect.
Normally this would be a cute event, but there was a tiny problem-
She was playing in the median of a major interstate exchange.
I pulled the car over and my wife and I attempted to rescue her. Unfortunately, she decided that she didn't want to be rescued. So she darted into a drainage pipe that ran under the road. She was so scared she literally waded through fairly deep water (for a cat her size) to get away. So now she's sitting in the middle of the pipe on a small heap of trash and hissing her heart out.
So I climbed in. I'm not claustrophic, but more than once I felt like I was auditioning for Fear Factor. Climbing inside a half-filled water pipe that's barely big enough to squeeze in is an uncomfortable situation, to say the least.
Eventually I scared her out of the pipe and then she hid under a concrete slab. This time, however, I was able to grab her.
As soon as I had her, she went limp and started purring. She'd been on an adrenaline-charged fight for survival for God knows how long and she had given up.
We kept her for three years, and she grew happy and fat.
A few weeks ago, we gave her to a couple in North Mississippi who had recently lost a cat they'd had for a long while. (It's a long story, but it was best that we give away some of our many cats.)
It was a good home, but unfortunately she escaped and hid in their attic for three weeks, and no one was able to catch her. This is Mississippi- attics get hot in the summertime. As in, "Am I standing in an oven?" kinda hot. This added to the fact that she was wearing a natural fur coat didn't help matters. We went once and called for her, but she didn't come. Then the homeowners set up a trap, but to no avail. We had almost given up hope.
Tonight my wife and her dad drove up there to give it one last try. My wife called her, and she responded. Eventually, she came out and walked up to her. From what I hear, she's dirty, skinny, and looks like a mess, but she's okay.
As I'm typing this, there's a white truck heading toward my home carrying Pumpkin in a cat carrier, plus one incredibly happy wife.
Needless to say, we won't be giving her away again.
Normally this would be a cute event, but there was a tiny problem-
She was playing in the median of a major interstate exchange.
I pulled the car over and my wife and I attempted to rescue her. Unfortunately, she decided that she didn't want to be rescued. So she darted into a drainage pipe that ran under the road. She was so scared she literally waded through fairly deep water (for a cat her size) to get away. So now she's sitting in the middle of the pipe on a small heap of trash and hissing her heart out.
So I climbed in. I'm not claustrophic, but more than once I felt like I was auditioning for Fear Factor. Climbing inside a half-filled water pipe that's barely big enough to squeeze in is an uncomfortable situation, to say the least.
Eventually I scared her out of the pipe and then she hid under a concrete slab. This time, however, I was able to grab her.
As soon as I had her, she went limp and started purring. She'd been on an adrenaline-charged fight for survival for God knows how long and she had given up.
We kept her for three years, and she grew happy and fat.
A few weeks ago, we gave her to a couple in North Mississippi who had recently lost a cat they'd had for a long while. (It's a long story, but it was best that we give away some of our many cats.)
It was a good home, but unfortunately she escaped and hid in their attic for three weeks, and no one was able to catch her. This is Mississippi- attics get hot in the summertime. As in, "Am I standing in an oven?" kinda hot. This added to the fact that she was wearing a natural fur coat didn't help matters. We went once and called for her, but she didn't come. Then the homeowners set up a trap, but to no avail. We had almost given up hope.
Tonight my wife and her dad drove up there to give it one last try. My wife called her, and she responded. Eventually, she came out and walked up to her. From what I hear, she's dirty, skinny, and looks like a mess, but she's okay.
As I'm typing this, there's a white truck heading toward my home carrying Pumpkin in a cat carrier, plus one incredibly happy wife.
Needless to say, we won't be giving her away again.
posted by Yorick at 7:34 PM
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