Introducing Keek!

My neighborhood is home to a fairly large community of feral cats, and it's not at all uncommon to have several cats sunning themselves in my backyard at any one given time. Two weeks ago, I saw this kitten laying lifeless on my deck, and truth be told, I thought he was dead, or close to it as he was slumped over with his eyes crusted shut, and his body twitching as he struggled to breathe. It was heartbreaking. I wanted to save him, but he looked far beyond the point of being rescued. I called Broward County Animal Control and told the dispatcher of the situation and she said that she would send somebody within a few hours.
Since the kitten was, for all intents and purposes, still alive, I asked what they would do with him. Without a pause, the dispatcher let me know that he would be put down. I knew this, so I'm not sure why I even asked in the first place, but when I heard the words put down, something in me changed and I canceled the call.

I sat with him, cleaned him up a bit, fed and watered him and kept an overnight vigil until I could take him to the veterinarian the next morning. After meeting with the vet, based on his weight and size, she believes the the kitten was about 3 weeks old, and although he was pretty sick, he definitely had a chance. It was at this point that the backyard kitten officially became "Keek" and I undertook the role of mama-cat. Two weeks of meds and some hefty TLC later, I can happily say that Keek is doing great and he's actually getting along with my resident cat, the beautiful and powerful Dahli-Bell.

In retrospect, I definitely wasn't in the market for a new cat, let alone the responsibilities of a young kitten, but this little kitty stole my heart. As I write this, he's looking up at me, almost like he knows what I'm saying. Either that, or he wants a snack. 

Welcome to the family, Keek!