Homeless Man and Three Kittens

A lady name Kimberley was walking her dog one evening in Christopher Park. As she strolled along she came upon a homeless old man feeding day-old bagels to three hungry kittens, who gratefully ate every crumb. The homeless man old man, who introduced himself as Vigil, told her the kittens’ mother had starved to death and that the kittens has bonded to him after the mother cat died.

Vigil asked Kimberley for her help in getting these kittens out of this cold, wet park, and into some animal shelter, where they could be put up for adoption. Vigil told her he was ill himself from being out in the harsh elements too long, and he wanted to get in a shelter also.

This man's unselfish concern for these animals touched Kimberly’s heart, and she agreed to help. To her surprise, Vigil dropped to his knees and prayed right in front of her. With tears in his eyes, Vigil said she was the answer to his prayers.

The next day Kimberley made numerous calls to various animal protective services, but none of them would help. They all considered these kittens "wild animals", because of the length of time they spent in the park. These agents did not take wild animals, and claimed they didn't have the time or space to train them for adoption. Even her own veterinarian told her to consider these cats like raccoons, wild animals, to be left alone. She was beginning to wish she had never met Vigil, or seen these poor kittens.

Kimberly’s sister Karen told her to call me, and because of the unusual circumstances, I felt that action had to be taken immediately. The longer the kittens stayed out there, the harder it would be to tame them, especially when there was a sick old man out in the cold, who wouldn't go to a shelter until someone could take the kittens.

I loaned Kimberley a carrier and a humane trap and guided her every step of the way. After she had safely caught all three kittens, we discovered there were two males and one female. All three were very frightened at first, but when I put the food in front of them, they gobbled it down like there would never be another meal.

It didn't take long for them to realize I had taken over the old man's place, and they became very affectionate with me. Now, I knew I would be able to put them up for adoption.

Vigil, no longer obligated to be the kittens' surrogate mother, has finally gone to a homeless shelter, where his health has improved.

I was also pleased to receive a very nice thank-you letter from Kimberley. Virgil’s prayers were answered after all. I was glad I could be of some help, and I thank God for working out the perfect arrangement.