# ali, the little kitten i found in the middle of the road



## sickmiller (Oct 31, 2003)

here's the background...my wife and i are peace corps volunteers living in Skopje (the capital), Macedonia (the poorest of the Balkan countries). Fortunately, we live near the center of the capital and have internet access on the laptop we brought with us. Anyhow, in this country, no one really keeps pets (though it isn't unheard of) and all cats are what I think are termed "feral" as i have seen on this forum. That is, they don't and have never had a home. Same with dogs for that matter.

So I was going to the market to get some soda, and in the middle of a busy four-lane road I see a little orange kitten. Of course, I stopped traffic to go get the kitten and though she hissed at me at first, as soon as i picked her up to take her to the side of the road she was relatively friendly, considering the circumstances. Once to the side of the road, she hid under a roadside kiosk and i took this opportunity to search for her family. i looked in the vicinity for about five minutes but found no other cats, so i went into the apartment to get my wife and we came out with a box and some milk. Kitty stayed under the kiosk and we didn't want to shock her by just grabbing her, so over the course of about 20 minutes, we lured her out with a saucer of milk. We then put her in the box and brought her up to our apartment.

I think the most remarkable thing about this kitten was her health. She had bright blue/gray eyes with no icky gookie stuff that seems to indicate bad health. Her coat was shiny (though dirty) and overall she looked very healthy.

I thought that we could foster this kitten and perhaps find it a home with another Peace Corps Volunteer or other another westerner interested in a kitten. Of course, i bet you can all guess what happened next. We fell in love!

She seemed to take to our small apartment very well. Immediately after bringing her in, she slept in the open for about 2 hours (her prior life must have been exhausting) and after that she just wanted to play and play and play. i took a pan and filled it up with some sand i found outside and immediately she used it for a litter box, with only one accident prior.

we have no big concerns about our new kitten, and she's been in the house five days and four nights now. One thing that is a little concerning is sometimes she will hiss when we approach her, especially after we haven't seen each other for a while. And today my wife laid down for a nap and the kitten joined her and i was bringing my wife a new pillow and the kitten backed up and hissed at the pillow. But just after that, she will be wanted to be petted and have tons of attention. She craves attention, constantly wanting to play and crawling all over us and sleeping on our shoulders, heads, legs, whatever. If we leave her in a room alone, she will meow and meow until we open the door (we tried sleeping with her in a different room) and she spends every moment she can within about five feet of us.

wow, this has turned into a long post. just thought i would share my kitty story. here is a picture of her...how old do you all think she is? i'm guessing maybe 7 or 8 weeks, but don't really know.

also, what is the appropriate age to have her fixed? i talked to some westerners living here and have located a good vet with close-to-western standards.

oh, and if you have a decent connection, you can check out the movie i made featuring her:

http://www.adamanddanielle.com/movies/new_in_may_05.mov

okay, i've been saying her all this time and its really a him (the best we can tell). what are some general personality differences between males and females?


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## emrldsky (Aug 31, 2004)

Awwww, the kitty is SOOO cute!!!


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## Hana (May 29, 2004)

Well, no wonder you fell in love!
What an adorable cat....More videos and pictures!!!!


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## Pigsterz (Oct 14, 2004)

I can understand why you guys fell in love with him. He is adorable!! Bless your hearts for opening up your home to him.
Yes indeed, more pictures and movies!!


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## Jockette (Feb 2, 2005)

sooooooooooooo cute!!!


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## tanyuh (Jun 7, 2003)

That part where he is playing with the slipper is priceless.. what a sweet, lucky kitty! Wouldn't have had much playing to do if you didn't come around - beautiful story.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

A little ball of warm, orange, furry love has dropped into your life!! You will have your new kitty checked over by a vet soon, right?


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## lunarbishop (Jan 3, 2005)

what a sweet baby!!! i kinda feel for the houseshoe though! 

~bekki and daizy~


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## AnGella (Apr 25, 2005)

Wonderful rescue story and adorable little orange kitty! I love orange kitties!


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## Cassandra (Feb 21, 2005)

as I watched that I couldn't help but encourage the computer in a 'baby voice' "get the shoe! get it get it! yaaay!"

what a sweet little girl


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## kitkat (Sep 22, 2003)

I can't see the picture anymore  

I showed my bf the video cause the kitten pouncing on the houseshoe was sooo cute and my bf couldn't stop laughing when the kitten was playing with the string and you petted their head and they pawed your hand too, too funny :lol:


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## LoveMyKitties (Nov 12, 2004)

what a sweetie pie!! And he will protect you from any strange slippers!


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## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

Yeah, I cannot see the picture either  . But I watched the video and the kitten is too adorable!


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## sickmiller (Oct 31, 2003)

wow, what a bunch of nice replies! i'm glad you all enjoyed the video  not sure about the picture, seems to be working for me.


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## Jockette (Feb 2, 2005)

i see the picture now (wasn't able to before)
sooooo adorable!
more videos


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## lilysong (Apr 4, 2005)

HAHA! Cats have such a thing for slippers!  Mine can't leave them alone.

What a beauty!

Lisa


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## Katten Minnaar (Mar 18, 2005)

Awww, that is one very cute and lucky kitty.

I just checked out the video....and wow cuteness alert. i think the video was great and i wouldn't mind seeing more of them


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## dmcwlvssr (Apr 24, 2005)

lucky you lucky kitty! what a sweetie!


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## TaLi RodrigueZ (Dec 31, 2003)

HAHA...that is great...I love when they jump around with all four legs like that...Looks like he's on a trampoline or something...


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## sickmiller (Oct 31, 2003)

this cat -- who became known as the colonel, just died from liver cancer. we buried him five days ago. it is a sad time for this and other reasons, but I was really pleased when I logged on for the first time in years and found this old post that I forgot I had written. the internet is a really neat place sometimes.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Oh! I'm so sorry for your loss.  I'm sure he had a wonderful life with you with the best of love and care.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

I can't find the video or the picture! What am I doing wrong?


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## sickmiller (Oct 31, 2003)

sorry i think those links are old and dead. will post a newer picture. he looked a lot like your cat, october


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## ndiniz (Jun 29, 2009)

I can see the pics, but no video.


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