Abandoned Kittens and Braided Bread

Hello everyone! I have a great story to share today!

This past Thursday evening, I was walking to the store in the rain when I heard a cry and looked down at my feet to see a wet, small grey kitten. I immediately picked it up and looked around. I saw no one. The kitten shivered as it snuggled against me. As I held the kitten and my umbrella, I tried to determine the best course of action. I could call Animal Control then and there, but I wasn’t sure what would happen to the kitten there. So I zipped the kitten into my jacket and carried it back to my apartment where I checked to see if it had fleas – nope!

I then called Animal Control to see if a kitten had been reported missing and also to see what their procedures were for lost kittens. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of her being taken by them, so I decided to hang on to the kitten for the weekend and try to find the owner myself (if there was one). My first step was to run to the store (which I never reached earlier in the evening) and pick up some cat litter and kitten chow. The kitten stayed in my bathroom most of the evening until it started crying around 5 AM and ended up sleeping on my lap for the rest of the early morning hours… I have a soft heart, what can I say. I was also fearful of neighbors complaining of the noise since I’m not supposed to have a pet here.

On Friday I called a local vet clinic and some apartment complexes near where the kitten was found to see if the owner was searching for it, but I had no luck. At this point I was growing attached and decided to call my landlord and see if I could keep the kitten for the last 2 months of my lease and how much it would cost. In less than a few minutes, I was emailed paperwork to sign and asked to pay a reasonable fee – SUCCESS!

It is now Saturday and the kitten is looking better, though still sneezing because of a cold from the rain I assume. I will be getting medication for the kitten on Monday. :-) I’m sure she was abandoned (she’s too tame to be a stray), and I am planning to take her in as my own. When I spoke with Animal Control, they mentioned that kittens and cats are regularly found where I found this kitten. Luckily this kitten found me. I’d say I’m lucky too. I’m preparing for a big life transition when I move away from my many wonderful Champaign-Urbana friends to take a full-time job. It will nice to have a friend to keep me company at my new place. Also, I can’t help but think this is the final step after receiving my MLIS to become a true librarian. Many librarians have cats (the stereotype is based on some truth).

I have just decided on a name for my kitten: Riada Etta. I found her near a stream, and riada means ‘stream’ in Spanish. Riada is also an Irish name, and I have a love of all things Irish. I included Etta so as to name her after one of my favorite jazz and blues singers, Etta James, who passed away earlier this year.

Now for a picture of little Riada (Ria for short):

In other less exciting news, I baked a braided bread for a co-worker. It was lovely and made my apartment smell heavenly.

P.S. Stay tuned for more reviews and giveaways to come!

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