A passing cold front had turned warm, sunny Florida into a dark, frigid place. Plants and animals alike shivered in the cold. The animals sought warmth where they could find it; the plants were left to fend for themselves.

The tiny tortoiseshell kitten made her way cautiously through the night, staying close to the houses and shrubs, hoping not to be seen. Even though she had no idea where she was going, she felt the need to keep on moving, if only to keep warm. A sudden blast of wind almost blew her over, the cold penetrating her thin kitten coat making her cry out in misery.

Her plight was all the more difficult because one of her eyes had closed tight, covered by mucous from an eye infection. Able to see out of only one good eye, every movement around her, even if only of a leaf or a scrap of paper, was terrifying. The rustling that something large made as it moved through the bushes just behind her, caused her to curl up and cringe, hoping that whatever it was would not see or hurt her. When she thought it was safe, she moved on again, even more cautiously than before, certain that danger lurked everywhere.

She came to a street corner. Which way should she go? As she started to cross the road, she was caught in the beam of headlights from a car that appeared suddenly from around the corner. For a moment she froze in her tracks, the car gaining on her; but the driver had seen a movement in front of him and slammed on his brakes. The sound roused the kitten out of her stupor and sent her scurrying across the road out of harm’s way.

Within the safety of a large bush she huddled, too scared to move. Then she saw two rats working their way along the path she had chosen. It was obvious they were not good friends. They spat angrily at each other. One quickly headed off in another direction. The other continued towards where she lay. The kitten remained motionless, afraid to breath.

Further up the street another cat, named Scooter, had just finished a meal that he had eaten in a heated outdoor feeding area provided by a human for stray cats and other animals that lived in the vicinity. There were other cats that lived there both inside the house and outside. All were well taken care of and even he, an outdoor cat, was the recipient of tasty treats given him by the human.

Scooter felt a little exercise was in order and, having been warmed by the food, was ready for a walk.
Meanwhile, the kitten backed away as the rat approached. The leaves rustled just enough to attract the rat’s attention.

“What have we here?” the rat asked, seeing the kitten huddled under the bush. He bared his teeth and let out a low hiss. “A little late for someone your age to be out, don’t you think?” He added in a menacing voice.

The kitten was too frightened to reply. The rat moved towards her but, before he could take another step, a deep rumbling growl came from behind him. Quickly, the rat turned and came face-to-face with a large dog. The rat barred his teeth and returned the dog’s menacing look with one of his own.

“Get out of my yard!” the dog growled.

“Make me!” The rat challenged, his bare teeth showing.

Not wishing to be caught in the middle of the fight, the kitten seized the opportunity to dart away from under the bush running as fast as her tiny legs would carry her. The dog saw the motion and lost interest in the rat. His new target was the small ball of fur running for all it was worth. He took off after the kitten, barking and growling as he went. A large fence loomed ahead. It was much too high for the tiny kitten to climb. Too tired to run any further, she lay down at the foot of the fence at the mercy of the approaching dog.

“Well, what have we here?” the dog said, showing his teeth and growling low. “Lost, are you?”

“Yes,” the kitten replied. “Please don’t hurt me. I mean you no harm.”

Just as the dog was about to leap on the kitten, a set of claws caught him across the nose. He screamed in pain and jumped back, blood dripping from the scratches.

“You’re a brave dog taking on that tiny kitten.” said Scooter, who had heard the commotion and arrived in time to intervene.

The dog, regaining his composure on seeing that his new adversary was just a cat, growled. “What makes you think you are big enough to keep me from taking you both on?”

“Let’s just say, I have more to lose then you do” Scooter replied, his attitude indicating he was not intimidated by the bully. “That gives me a lot of incentive to make sure you don’t win.”

The dog had never faced a really determined, angry cat before, and he lunged at Scooter. With all his natural agility, Scooter leapt to one side while delivering another, painful clawing to the dog’s muzzle, barely missing its eye. The dog backed off.

“There’s more where that came from,” Scooter said confidently, “If I were you, I’d give up while I was ahead. Be a good doggy and go home!”

The dog growled and snarled then stopped, turned tail and ran. Scooter turned to the tiny kitten. “Hello,” he said kindly. “My name is Scooter. Are you lost?”

When the kitten didn’t reply, Scooter said. “It’s all right. You are safe with me. Are you hungry?”

That got the kitten’s attention. Slowly, she came towards him and rubbed herself against his front legs. ”Thank you, Mr. Scooter, you saved my life.”

Scooter licked her on the top of her head and said, “Follow me, we are not far from my home.” Scooter turned to go, but the kitten was too exhausted to follow. Gently, he took hold of her as her mother would have done and carried her back to the house, setting her down gently before the bowl of food. Once she had eaten her fill, he led her to the heated area. There, he curled up on the soft blanket. “Come on,” he said, “it’s time you got some sleep.”

It was still dark when the human began her morning cat-feeding duties. She had expected to see Scooter curled up in the heated shelter, on his own, but to her surprise, there, snuggling next to him, was a tiny kitten.

“What have we here!” the human exclaimed. “Who’s your friend, Scooter? What a sweet kitten!” The human went back into the house, returning with a small cat carrier. The kitten had been too frightened to move. When the human reached for her, the kitten wanted to run away; but Scooter blocked the way saying “Go with the human, kitten, you are safe now.”

The human picked up the kitten and took her inside. There the kitten had her eyes cleaned and medicated and for the first time could see out of both of them. Then she was placed in a large crate with a soft bed, lots of food, toys and a litter box.

“Don’t be afraid, kitten,” the human said, “You will only have to stay in there a day or two until you get to know the other kitties and they get to know you. Then, the house is yours to roam about in. This is your home now, too.”

The human went back to where Scooter was sitting. “I know I will never find out how you came upon this kitten, but it was a very kind and courageous thing you did, bringing her here to safety. Please come inside and live with me. I would be privileged to have you as my friend.”

Though this story has been embellished, it is nonetheless true. It will forever be a mystery where the small kitten came from, but Fate saw fit to have her cross paths with a kindred spirit, who, in saving her, changed both their lives for the better.

© Copyright 2011 Karen Lynch
Floyd the Dog has donated €48.09 (equivalent to £42.41 or $68.33) On behalf of Karen Lynch to Florida Cause for Paws, Tampa, Florida, U.S.A.
First published by www.floydthedog.com

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