I called my mom from work today for some reason or another, and while we were talking, she told me a story she'd heard from a friend of hers Saturday night (who'd read it in the paper).

Apparently some people were in a boat out in the ocean, about three miles from shore in the Gulf of Mexico, when thought they saw something bobbing on the waves. They went over and checked it out, and it was a kitten, dog-paddling with all its heart. They picked the kitten up and brought it home with them and named it Nemo.

Now, on the one hand, it's always nice to read about people who do rescue and take in abandoned animals and the name is really cute... but each time I think about a tiny little kitten swimming desperately against the waves, I pretty much start to cry. It sounded like my mom felt the same way when she told me the story, too. I try not to think about the reasons that the kitten would be out there, either; on the one hand, it could've fallen off of a boat that someone had it on, but more than likely, someone dumped it -- and probably others that didn't make it -- out there. Mind you, since the story mentions the area was full of boats, I'm going to simply hope that he was a stowaway or something that fell off his ride. Or maybe he fell off a dock and got turned around.

People like that make me absolutely sick and upset. If you ever want to see me cry my eyes out while beating the crap out of someone, let me see someone abandon or abuse an animal. I don't care what kind of animal it is, it just makes me upset. The part where it mentions the kitten was screaming its lungs out is pretty awful, too; I remember how pathetic Thena sounded all those times I had to give her a bath, and that was nothing compared to this. Kittens have a great way of making you feel like the worst monster in the world when they start crying over something, be it a bath or a vaccination. Their teeny little voices are so high-pitched and manage to express so much outrage and upset... it's funny and heart-breaking at the same time.

My mom told me another story, but I don't remember what it was; this is the one that keeps sticking in my head. Sometimes having a good imagination is a real pain.

Maybe now that I've dumped this story on all of you, I'll be able to let my brain slow down and sleep. For anyone who wants the story, I found it here. There's also a picture of the little guy. He looks to be about 8-10 weeks old.

Boaters find kitten three miles into Gulf of Mexico
Associated Press ^ | 10 July 2004 | AP


Posted on 07/10/2004 4:11:22 PM PDT by balrog666


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - When Maggie Rogers spotted something bobbing in the water three miles into the Gulf of Mexico while on a scalloping trip with friends, she assumed it was a turtle, or a piece of sea kelp.

But as the boat got closer and slowed down, she found it was a tiny, apricot-colored kitten. Nine inches long and screaming at the top of its lungs, the cat was paddling furiously.

"We scooped him up and he sat on the boat with me for eight hours," said Rogers, who is the finance director at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

"He was exhausted and stressed," Rogers said. "His heart rate was high."

The boaters on the 17-foot Scout Current Drift did not know how the kitten arrived in the Homosassa Bay. There were at least 40 boats in the crowded area where he was found, they said.

On Tuesday, three days after he was found, a veterinarian found the 10-week-old, 1-pound kitten had worms, but was otherwise healthy.

He was adopted by Rogers' sister-in-law - and named Nemo.

Homosassa Bay is about 45 miles northwest of Tampa.

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Information from: St. Petersburg Times, http://www.sptimes.com


There's also a picture of the little guy. He looks to be about 8-10 weeks old.