Free to good home & it's a small world. No, really, it is.

I thought last week “I am going to run into someone I know from the states in Shanghai.”

Yeah, sure. On the other side of the globe. Really, what are the odds?

Well, today it happened.

I was sitting in my local western favorite Wagas, drinking some coffee and working, when I turned and an American woman near me asked, “Are you from Denver?”, having noticed the Love Hope Strength “Pikes Peak Rocks” t-shirt that I was wearing.

“Well, yes.” I replied.

As the woman spoke and started to introduce her friends, I realized the woman sitting next to her is an Art Institute instructor that I had seen numerous times at the ID building at school! Yes folks, it happened. 9,514.44 miles from home and I run into someone I know in my new local favorite coffee shop.

Seriously. What are the odds? (note: if someone can toss a calculation in here, please, email me).

From Denver to Shanghai, and in this one coffee shop, on this one side of it, here is someone I’ve crossed paths with more times than I can count. Ridiculous and awesome all in one.

From there I venture on back to my apartment, and decide to turn to Wuding Lu (Lu = Road) to cut across to the street that I live on. No big difference, maybe an extra minute in walking time — though I’d normally walk a different route for efficiency sake. As I walk along, I suddenly hear “mmeeeeoow! mrow! mmmrraaw! mrow mrow mrow mrowwww”. I stop. About-face and walk back eight feet to see three tiny kittens tied by their necks to an iron fence. (loosely, but shocker for me.) They are distressed. Two are up and crying. One is on its back, and I assume half-dead. What do you do? I assess the situation and options, and head home, messaging three locals that I know to get some input while contemplating buying milk (and plastic gloves) and feeding them. Or getting a box and bringing them home.  I have an eye dropper and have bottle fed kittens (baby lynx, to be exact, in Montana at a ranch) and could certainly take care of these little fellas.

I discuss the scenario with my roommate upon returning home. I have to do something — though did contemplate “survival of the fittest” and for maybe the first time in my life, thought of doing nothing. (As if that could happen). Don’t worry, I did something.

Thirty minutes later, my roommate and I head back. Container of warm milk, plastic gloves, eye dropper, bedding, cardboard, and digital camera in hand.

When we arrived back in the scene – hurrah!! The kittens were gone! I assume “Yes! near a western breakfast eatery – someone has rescued them!!” But then we talk with a man out front, and oh – here they are, inside the gate. No problem. I don the gloves and start to feed the little guys, who seem much more active now that they aren’t tied down (especially the one that was previously on its back). Two resist some feeding but I win, and one is most happy to have something. And now I feel better knowing that they at least have something else in their bellies, after having been dumped by the human who owns the house cat that had this litter around a month ago.

We take some pictures, and set up ‘camp’ for them so there is at least some shelter with the scarf and cardboard. Already having researched animal rescue operations in Shanghai I know that I’d have to care for them until a home was found, and as allergic as I am, and with my roommate’s puppy, they are best off here for the time being. I post ads online in search of people who can help and hope to have a good ending to this story soon.

(note: I will certainly let you all know what happens, and have actually received a response from someone interested in them. I will check up on “Cookie”, “Spice”, and “Jack” in the morning before work, and do what I can to help them out.