Hello, I'm Willow! I'm curious, too curious at times and it almost cost me my life. I was born in Hollywood, in a back alley off Sunset Boulevard between the Saharan Motel and the Seventh Veil Strip Club. One day I wanted to see the big world so I ventured out on my own. I chased a fly and soon everything got dark. I couldn't move my body anymore. I was stuck behind a pipe. I cried as loud as I could, but no one heard me. My belly was hungry, and I was thirsty. It was hot inside that dark place. I felt my body weaken and my meowing reduced to nothing but a faint chirp. Suddenly, I heard human voices. With the last of my breath I called out the loudest meow. Moments later I felt a hand grabbing my fur and pulling me out. I looked into the eyes of a human and heard a soft voice. "Oh, my goodness...get water, quick! And tuna! It's in the small cabinet!" I heard oohs and aahs as I was licking the delicious water. When I looked up more humans had joined the circle, and they were all watching me with a smile on their face.
My belly full of tuna I was an exhausted, but content kitten the night my human took me to the emergency vet on Santa Monica Blvd. He said I weighed less than one pound and was about 3-4 weeks old. He gave me fluids as I was dehydrated - I must have been stuck for days in that hot garage - but otherwise I was in good spirits. I had a slew of unwelcome friends, but nothing that a little TLC couldn't treat. I went home, and the human with the soft voice - I decided to call her Mama - put me in the bathroom to quarantine me from my two to-be-siblings. Mama had put a soft plush towel, food and water bowls, and litter box inside the bathtub, but I had other plans. I wanted to explore this big new world. With all of the strength left in my body I crawled out of the tub. When she opened the door she could not believe her eyes. I was on the tile floor pouncing at the toilet paper roll. "So, you like it better here?" She laughed and moved my stuff out of the tub. For several weeks Mama gave me medication morning and evening. I had bad diarrhea from the parasites and she would clean me with a damp cloth. In time I got well enough for a bath. We would spend hours together playing and snuggling in the bathroom. During the night she got up several times to check in on me. She gave me my first toy, Mr. Otto Puss. I liked chewing on his arms, and Mama would tuck me in at night with Mr. Puss. She would place her ear near my chest so she could listen to my heartbeat. And I would purr and purr until I fell asleep.