On one of those mornings where you expect nothing, I heard one of my kittens meowing persistently and went out to check if it was stuck on a tree (the usual kitten trouble!).
As I approached the laundry room — still looking for the source of meowing — an unfamiliar white and tabby kitten jumped out and came straight to me. It was almost two months old with blood crusted all over its ear, neck, and chest.
I was shocked by the sight that I picked it up instantly and went inside although not sure what to do. I assumed that he must’ve been attacked by the dogs and managed to escape and hide in our garden.
Despite its gory looks, the kitten was obviously starving and ate heartly to my own surprise. I decided to take him to the vet when I met Sham the helper on the way out.
He asked if I’d seen the injured kitten outdoors and upon seeing it in the carrier, he shared his story: as he was returning from his day off in a taxi, Sham witnessed an accident; a kitten was run over by a bicycle rider who never turned to inspect the damage he’d caused the poor animal.
Sham asked the driver to stop immediately and picked up the injured kitten to bring it home. The driver was astonished and asked what he’ll do with it, to which Sham replied confidently: “I can help it.” I shared this story with the vet who insisted on x-raying the kitten in case he had any ruptured organs.
Luckily, everything was intact yet along with his severe neck wound he suffered from a hernia caused by the pressure of the bicycle running over his neck. He was put on a three weeks course of antibiotics to heal the wound and had to stay in the guest’s bathroom. I decided to call him Fardan which meant unique as everything about his story was extraordinary.
During his recuperation time indoors, Fardan displayed a super hyper character. It was always hard to medicate him or clean his wound as he constantly scratched and bit. Once the wound healed, I put him outdoors and he blended well with the other four kittens and started bossing them around.
However, within a few weeks Fardan developed another wound on his neck and his energy started seeping out as he stopped eating. We visited the vet again who was baffled by the appearance of the second wound and Fardan’s sudden quietness. He ran a blood check that showed that Fardan was suffering from a severe anaemia caused by a certain type of bacteria and was kept in the clinic for a few days. When I went visiting, Fardan jumped on my lap and sat there quietly, something odd to his usual self. He was put on antibiotics for a whole month and had to return to the bathroom again. Within a few days of treatment, Fardan was becoming his hyper old self again. This time, I didn’t mind the scratching and biting for as much as he wasn’t worryingly quiet. Within two weeks of being locked up, he became excessively hyper and started trashing the bathroom every single day; a sure sign that he was bored.
Therefore, I put him out and continued medicating and cleaning his wound that healed and left a tiny new scar. Fardan’s dominant and territorial character is becoming more evident every day. The adult Kitzanians learned to never share his plate or slap him around as he slapped back. An unmistakable little tyrant in the making. Welcome to Kitzania, little Fardan!
Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of: The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com
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