Kiwi

by Micaela Hallan (United States of America)

I didn't expect to find Cambodia

Our story begins in the quaint little town of Siem Reap in Northern Cambodia. My mother and I were there for three weeks to do volunteer work with stray cats and dogs at one of the local Pagodas. On our first day of volunteering we caught a tuk tuk over to the Pagoda Wat Athvear in the late morning. We arrived before anyone else and took a seat on one of the broken-down benches. We watched as cats and dogs roamed around the fragmented, debris covered temple grounds. The sound of a decrepit motorcycle advancing down the dirt road caught our attention. Suddenly, there was a flurry of motion as cats and dogs scrambled from every direction to greet the bike, or more specifically the person on it, Rhinda. Rhinda is the keeper of the animals, she goes daily to feed them, clean them, and give them some much needed love. She was our teacher and showed us around the place and taught us our specific jobs. We went about our work, dripping with sweat within minutes as the temperature climbed to the mid-90s. Eventually we came to an area in the back, a disheveled hut of sorts with piles of mangled tree branches surrounding it and a thick layer of dirt everywhere. We gathered the bowls and poured out food and water. From among the rubbish, five tiny kittens dashed out. They excitedly leapt up onto the platform and gobbled up the food we had brought. They looked to be almost skin and bone and most had grimy faces which we cleaned off with our rags and water. That’s when I saw it, an emaciated heap of fur. I took the kitten up into my hands and I softly used two fingers to pet it. I felt a stir. I was astounded, I thought this poor lifeless animal was dead. A moment later I had him in a blanket and Rhinda was on the phone speaking hastily, she hung up and told us one of the directors from our volunteer organization was coming and we were going to bring the kitten to the vet. In all her time coming here she had never seen this kitten before but clearly it was a sibling to the others. As soon as the man arrived, I hopped on back the rickety motorbike and we shot off on the back roads to the vet. We arrived and I rushed into the one room clinic and showed them the kitten. They motioned for me to put it on the table for inspection. I held onto the kitten atop the icy metal table as he was too frail to stand or lift his head. I watched as they gave him a slew of shots, IV fluid, treated him for fleas etc. and afterwards the Vet demonstrated how to give the various shots and oral medications at home. Being in the medical field I felt confident that I could take on this kittens care. We named him Kiwi (also I thought Kiwi was a girl at first). I honestly didn’t think he would make it long. For days I tirelessly cared for him when I wasn’t at the Pagoda. I gave him medications via giant needles, prayed for him, force fed him formula and gradually he got better. By day three he was looking like a whole new kitten, rid of fleas, eating plenty, able to stand and walk a little (with his head slanted to the side due to weak muscles and malnutrition). Kiwi was a miracle. He gave all of us volunteers so much joy to see this little survivor thrive and become so spirited and full of life. Finally it came to the day, the toughest day, when we released him back at the Pagoda. We took our usual tuk tuk and I held on to Kiwi tightly, praying he would be OK. We arrived and walked out back to the little shanty. Tears came pouring out of my eyes as I let him run back to his siblings and then a smile crept onto my face. He was home, he was alive.