Silverado the Survivor (A Mama Kat Writing Prompt)

Yes, Kat has been in Greece while we have not, but we have dutifully chosen prompts and written or vlogged. I ditched the first prompt that http://www.random.org/ handed me (Describe a memorable first date) because I covered that territory in this post. I also knew that whatever prompt I chose needed to be one that could cover Silverado (to be introduced momentarily). Good thing one of the prompts is Write about a child you find inspiring. The "child" I have chosen has four legs and a whole lot of "inspiring."

Meet Silverado:

Silverado and her story have kept our office transfixed since the day a couple of weeks ago that my coworker Karen stopped on a busy road to try to keep her from getting run over by rushed morning commuters. Karen takes over from here and tells the rest of the story:

I stopped at the stoplight at Waffle House on the Parkway and a calico kitten dashed out from under the car in front of me and slammed into the curb and crouched down looking terrified. Without thinking, I put my car in park, turned on the four way flashers and got out to try to grab the kitten so when the light changed it wouldn't run back into traffic. Well, the kitten disappeared! I looked down the embankment and under my truck. The girl behind me got out of her car and told me the kitten was by my front tire. So I went to that side and saw ....no kitten. I slowed traffic in the lane next to me. A guy from Advance Discount Auto Parts came out and asked if I was having car trouble. Nope kitten trouble. Well, after searching for a few more minutes, I decided the kitten had either run off or was up in my truck somewhere. I eased the truck forward and not hearing any screaming drove to work and parked. I worked until 12:30, drove to my dentist's office for an hour and 15 minute appointment, drove back to work, worked the rest of the day. That was the day it was 105.

Worked until 5:30, drove home and was sitting at the dinner table when I heard what sounded like a kitten crying. Tom said it was a bird and as soon as we went outside it stopped. So we went back inside and sure enough a few minutes later I heard the kitten crying. Tom and I went out and spent the next 90 minutes searching for the elusive kitten. We finally determined it was somewhere near the back of the truck and thought she was up in the frame work. While both of us were lying on our backs under the truck pondering how much it was going to cost to get this kitten out of our truck, I noticed a space above the gas tank. Tom hoisted himself up by hanging an arm around the driveshaft and sure enough there sat a frightened kitten. When we went to reach for it, it ran down the driveshaft like a tightrope walker and into the spare tire. Needless to say, I couldn't drive the truck to work the next day.

Tom got a trap from a friend and we captured little Silverado, as our healthy 1 pound, six week old baby girl has been named [editor's note - Karen's truck is a Chevy Silverado]. We are now in the process of fostering her to prepare her for adoption.

Silverado's total mileage traveled that day on the gas tank of my truck was almost 40 miles! This kitty is a survivor!

That 105 degree day in Tallahassee was brutal, even for those of us who spent most of the day indoors .... not perched on a gas tank .... not recently separated from our loved ones. I am inspired by Silverado's tenacity and her story.

If you are here in Tallahassee and know someone who might want to adopt her when she is old enough (she has to be two months old or weigh two pounds) let me know (opuswsk {at} aol {dot} com). If you are not a Tallahassee reader, I hope you'll still enjoy and be inspired by Silverado's story. I was.

Here she is in action:

Here are some more pictures of Silverado the Survivor: