Whiz

Meet Whiz! While watching me crochet this project James told me I needed to make a cape for Whiz since the color matched Whiz. Whiz is my she-male. Yes, I said she-male. Or maybe he's a he-she or maybe that's a maleshe. Eh, whatever he was born a boy and is now a girl, anatomically speaking. Whiz was found along with four other kittens, just days old, covered in maggots in an old barn by my sister Janne. It was 2002 and I was working at the Vet Clinic and Janne and I decided we would save the kittens. The vets assured me that it was a long shot, Dr. Emily even went so far as to say she had never succeeded in saving kittens that young, much less kittens covered in maggots.

Seven years later, here he is lounging with my crochet and enjoying the beautiful sunshine. In fact, that is what we call him, Sunshine. The other kittens survived, too. Two went to a home, one went to Dr. Emily's home and two stayed with me. You met Whiz's brother Guy in a previous post.

Should I tell you the story of why Whiz became a she? It was Dr. Emily who named Whiz, since that was the source of all his problems when he was little. He couldn't whizz. The other kittens used his penis as a nipple, resulting in continuous blockage of his urethra. We catherized him, separated him, kept close tabs on his peeing episodes, but all to no avail. The blockage became so bad that Dr. Coatney recommended surgery. Whiz was 2 lbs 4 oz when he underwent general anesthesia to have his gonads and penis removed. The little bit of genitalia left was tacked to the back of his legs and Dr. Coatney fashioned a hole for Whiz to pee out of. It was an amazing surgery. Dr. Coatney had never performed surgery, and one of this magnitude and delicacy on a cat so little. Before scrubbing in he told me to not expect Whiz to make it. Says something for the scrappiness of barn cats that he thrived. My love and my Hindu friend chanting may have helped. I don't know. All I know is that God wanted this little guy to live and Whiz agreed with him.

What does this all have to do with crafting? Maybe not much, but these guys are my companions and I figure every yarn lover has to be a cat-lover too, right? ;)

Sunshine and Happiness!