It was a cold, dark night back in March of 2003 when it happened. I was on my way home from work with less than 2 miles to go. Three or four cats ran across the road, so I slowed down. Thinking that all of the cats had made it across, I continued on. One last cat ran in front of my car and I accidentally ran it over. I was horrified. I immediately stopped the car and got out to see if the cat was still alive or not. Because it was dark outside, all I had to help me look in the tall grass was my headlights and a small flashlight. I couldn’t find the cat, but in the dirt, on the side of the road, there was something moving. It was kittens!! My guess is that the cat I hit was pregnant and the impact of the car pushed them out. Unable to find the mother, it was up to me to take car of them. Initially, there were 4 kittens, but by the time I made it back to work at the hospital only 2 made it.

My husband and I had just moved to the Cambridge area, and we were still in the process of building our home. Living in the unfinished basement with limited resources, it was a lot of work feeding 2 kittens every few hours the first 2 weeks. Luckily, I could bring the kittens to work with me so I could continue their frequent feedings. As they got a little older, the frequency of the feedings lessened and they became more self sufficient. Originally, the kittens were supposed to be outdoor barn cats, however when I spent that much time with them, I couldn’t put them outside.

Both kittens have grown into beautiful cats. The female has some issues, though. Dr. Pete thinks that the mother was a carrier of distemper and it affected her central nervous system. Her vision isn’t perfect; we think she can only see shadows. Certain sounds scare her, as well, since she can’t see what is making the noise. Aerosol cans and plastic bags are the two worst sounds. When she hears them, she turns to run away and usually bangs into a wall. I call her my “autistic child”. My sister on the other hand calls her “Squish” and her brother “Squash” because of how they came into the world. Their real names are “Violet” and “George”. I named them after my grandparents. My grandmother had just passed away two days before the accident and my grandfather had passed just the year before. They are both thriving in my home, and they get along great with all of my other pets. I guess it just goes to show that out of something horrible, something wonderful can happen.