We really enjoyed being in SC. The weather was beautiful and warm. They had a good old southern oyster roast that Saturday night. It had been a long time since I had eaten oysters. I can eat them if they are firm or fried, but never raw or on the half shell. These were just right.
It started raining later that night. The next day was cold (by our standards) and overcast. We were ready to head for home though, hoping we would not hit any really bad weather. So far, our trip through Texas had been the worst.
On Monday, December 9, we started out for home. Our first planned stop would be in West Nashville, TN. We were very tired when we got there. The next morning when Charlie opened the door to take Sheila out, there was snow everywhere! Sheila was so distracted that she would not do her business. These California dogs! It was about 28 degrees.
We scraped the snow from the car, loaded up and left the hotel. It was a good thing that we were in West Nashville, because the morning rush hour traffic was heading towards Nashville. We were going against it. The roads were still a little icy, but not bad. It was cold, but clear.
The cats were a little restless. On the trip over, they never made a sound. Now they meowed for the first hour or so when we started. Then they would go to sleep for a little and it would be quiet. I think the traveling was getting old to them. Sheila was in her own kennel and I think she just slept.
We arrived at our hotel in Sallisaw, OK at 4:00 p.m. Since we had gained an hour when we crossed into Arkansas, it was nice to quit driving before dark. It had still been a seven hour drive.
Jackson had diarrhea and really wasn’t eating much. He threw up and it was mostly water. We decided that we needed to make sure there was food in the kennel during the day for Jackson and Jonesie to munch on. They couldn’t go without food all day. I did give them treats during the day, but that wasn’t enough.
We were all exhausted due to the drive and probably a little due to the time zone change. We were watching TV and I fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. I think. I woke up because I thought I heard the alarm. Charlie was awake too. Then Sheila heard something and barked. We quieted her, but we heard voices outside also. Suddenly someone was trying to open our door. He actually opened the door and if not for the safety latch, the door would have opened all the way. From the bed, I saw the guys shoes! Sheila barked and we both yelled, “Hey!”.
Then he realized he had the wrong room. He said, “Sorry ‘bout that” and walked away mumbling. I think it was an honest mistake. We were lucky that the safety latch was on. However, the door knob had been locked, so I don’t know how he got the door open in the first place. We set the deadbolt and made sure it was secure before going back to bed. It was only about 11:30 p.m., but seemed like I had slept forever before all of the excitement.
The next morning was cold and foggy. Jackson seemed to feel better. He ate a good breakfast. We waited until they took care of their business before putting them in the kennel for the day. It was a little after 8:00 a.m. when we left the hotel. It cleared up and was sunny, but cold, 28 degrees.
We planned to stay that night in Tucumcari, NM. The number of hours we wanted to drive that day would get us that far. We had spent some time in Tucumcari, NM two years ago when our RV broke down there. At that time, we swore we would never stop there again.
While I was looking at the map to see where the next time zone changed, I noticed that it would change when we crossed into New Mexico. Since we would gain an hour in the new time zone, it would be 3:00 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m. when we stopped for the night. It seemed too early to stop. Santa Rosa, NM was only an hour further to drive. Charlie agreed. I found a pet friendly hotel in Santa Rosa, made a reservation and cancelled the Tucumcari hotel.
 |
| Our room was straight ahead on the left ground floor. |
Charlie went to the office to ask about the cats. We had decided that if they didn’t belong to the hotel, we might try to help the kitten, if we could. The clerk told him that the cats did not belong to the hotel. They were strays and they were not allowed to feed them. Of course, I’m sure the guests probably did, i.e. the lady with the pizza.
I walked down the hill to see if I could find the kitten. I didn’t see anything. There were some mobile homes further away on the other side of a concrete wall. The cats might have come from there, but if so, they were not cared for if they were out on such a cold day and begging for food.
I periodically looked out the window during the night, but I didn’t see the kitten. Then before I went to bed, I looked out the window again and saw a little black kitten walk by. It was really cold outside, 16 or 17 degrees. The kitten disappeared into the darkness.
The next morning Charlie went to the hotel café to get us some coffee. When he came back he said the mama cat was outside and wondered if we should give her something to eat. I made a dish out of some coffee filters and put some cat food on it for her.
She was by herself and we wondered where her kitten was. So far, she and the kitten were the only cats we had seen at the hotel. I went back out to get more coffee, the mama cat had eaten and was sitting next to the building. I petted her as I walked by. She was still there when I came back by.
Later, I went outside to pick up the “dish”. The mama cat was still next to the building and the black kitten was with her. I went over to see if the kitten was friendly. It watched me approach, but didn’t move away. I picked it up. It was very thin, probably 4-5 weeks old. As I was standing there holding the kitten, the pizza lady and her husband came out, ready to leave. She was happy that we were taking care of the kitten. They were ‘snow birds’ from Iowa, heading for Arizona.
Charlie held the kitten and agreed that we should bring it home with us. Then we thought, ‘what about mama cat?’ I had looked around earlier and there were no more cats that I could see. Charlie handed the kitten to me and I took her inside to feed. He picked up mama cat. We had a small soft kennel that we had bought in Virginia and weren’t using. He put mama cat in the kennel. She didn’t make a sound.
The kitten didn’t eat much. She obviously was malnourished and needed to see a vet as soon as we could get her to one. We packed up everyone and left the hotel. There was going to be one more night in a hotel and then we’d be home. We put the kitten in the kennel with mama cat and they were fine. They were both small. I had already named the mama cat, Rosie, and the kitten, a little girl, Sandi, since they were from Santa Rosa.
 |
| Sandi with the sun on her nose |
 |
| She snuggled into the blanket |
While we were driving, I took little Sandi out of the kennel a few times and held her in a blanket. She was so tiny. She slept some, but then would get restless and want out of the blanket. I put her back in the kennel and she seemed happy to be in there with her mom. We were happy that we had brought them with us.
Our final stop for the night was Show Low, AZ. Before we checked into our hotel there, we stopped at Walmart and picked up some milk supplement formula for the kitten, as well as some more food. We also got a disposable litter box since we would have to keep them in the bathroom. We didn’t want to expose them to our cats before they had seen a vet.
 |
| Rosie with her baby |
 |
| Keeping her safe and warm |
The bathroom seemed cold to me. The floor was tile and I know how cold a tile floor can be. I bought some bubble wrap and some more blankets to make a bed for them. The bubble wrap helped to insulate them from the cold floor. We turned the heat lights on and it helped. I know it was not as cold as what they had been exposed to outside in New Mexico, but it sure felt cold to me.
Sandi, the kitten, lapped up some milk. She seemed fine, other than the fact that she was so thin. She didn’t eat much though. When I put the blankets down, they both started kneading. It must have felt so good to them. I wish I had taped it or taken a picture. It was just so sweet to see the two of them enjoying the comfort of a soft blanket.
Rosie had an “accident” in the kennel earlier in the day. When we got to the hotel and put them in the bathroom, she needed to be cleaned a little. Charlie went into the bathroom to do that and I brought Sandi out and held her. I did not let Jonesie come up close to her and touch noses, like he wanted. We had to keep them apart for now.
Charlie came out of the bathroom after tidying up Rosie. He said she was very friendly and then he said something strange. He said he thought Rosie was a male! I said, no way! We didn’t think anything else about it.
We fed them some wet food and also left a bowl of dry food and water in the bathroom for them. We checked periodically to see how they were doing.
I went into the bathroom one time to check on them and Rosie was covering Sandi, as if to keep her warm. Again, I wish I had taken a picture.
At about 11:30 p.m., I checked in the bathroom before going to bed. Rosie and Sandi seemed fine. Sandi had not eaten much, but I thought she was fine since she had lapped up some milk earlier and she had her “mother” with her.
I woke up at 3:00 a.m., got up and went to check on the cats in the bathroom. When I opened the door, Rosie was there, but no Sandi. As I opened the door further, I saw Sandi, lying in the litter box. I reached to touch her. Charlie woke up when he heard me cry out, “The kitten died!” He went into the bathroom to see. We were both shocked.
Then, of course, we tried to figure out what we could have done differently for her. We had planned to take her to our vet as soon as we got home. She was thin, but she seemed to be alert when I held her earlier in the day while we were traveling. She didn’t just listlessly lay on my lap. She looked around, wanted to walk around. She was with her mother. Was there no milk for her? We had her less than 24 hours and we were devastated. It was so unexpected.
Charlie wrapped Sandi up and put her in a box. It was very cold and icy outside. The car was cold. She would be fine until we could get her home. Ironic that we thought we were rescuing this tiny kitten from the cold and we never wanted her to be cold again.
We tried to get a little more rest, but planned on getting an early start for the ride home. I was in the bathroom petting “Rosie” and giving her my condolences. I rubbed her tummy. She had no nipples. No sign that she had been nursing...ever. Well, guess what? Charlie was right. Rosie was not a mama cat. Rosie was a boy.
At the hotel in New Mexico, she had been keeping little Sandi warm and, of course, when she and Sandi were seen together, she obviously looked like a mama cat with her kitten. Who would conclude anything else?
In the bathroom earlier, when I saw “her” covering Sandi, it was very sweet and what a mama cat would do on a cold night.
The kitten will always be known as “Sandi”. “Rosie” is now also named “Sandy”, in honor of “her” kitten. What a development....
 |
| Sandy in the kennel on the way home with us 12-13-13 |
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
