I drove to Sonoita, Arizona to visit a friend...

and I knew she had two 10-week old kittens but I never thought I'd be bringing one home.

Who could resist that face??

And such a sweet boy too. His name is Reiki (Japanese, literally ‘universal life energy’). He and two siblings were abandoned at birth with their umbilical cords and sacs still attached. Momma Cat was apparently too young to know what to do with three newborn kittens. My friend LInda found them alone, no Momma Cat around tending to them, and decided to try and save them. She had no prior experience rescuing newborn kittens. With friends' advice and access to the internet, but mostly her own determination and perseverance, two of the kittens survived. Two little brothers.

Definitely sleep deprived, Linda still fed them every two hours; burped them, tickled their tummies to help them pee and poop; kept them clean, dry, and warm; taught them to use a litter box, eat soft food, then dry food. Not an easy task, nor one to be taken lightly, and she did a magnificent job! YOU are my hero, well done Linda.

Reiki just had his first vet visit and my vet was very impressed with how socialized our new kitty-boy is. He is fitting right in with our 3 dogs and 2 grown cats. In fact, Tom Cat (who I've written about before) has adopted him and is very insistent on good grooming and play time. They are enjoying each other's company and great fun to watch.