Gizmo Garu ~ From Kimchi Kitten to Apart-euh King
Two weeks ago I went hiking with a friend to Chiaksan National Park. While we were going up and down the mountain, my girlfriend found Gizmo Garu. He’s a little black and white kitten from the mean streets of Daejeon. She was on her way to Starbucks when she saw an empty parking spot. Empty except for Gizmo; a tiny, bristling, back arching, scrawny little thing. She approached slowly, holding out her hand for his approval. They made friends and she took him to the vet to get checked. Gizmo had ear mites, but was otherwise in good health. K (my girlfriend) brought Gizmo home along with a bag of kitten food. I found out about Gizmo on the bus back from Wonju when K called me and gave me an update on her day.
We discussed whether or not keeping him was viable. We both have good jobs, so money wasn’t a problem. My only condition going in was that if we adopted him, we would keep him. That means wherever we go, Gizmo goes with us. I don’t believe in rent-a-pets, having the animal for a year and passing it to someone else when your contract’s up and it’s time to go home. After a day with Gizmo, K was sold. He was ours, or maybe we were his.
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During the first two days, Gizmo was pretty frail. We fed him wet food and gave him lots of attention. Gizmo spent a lot of time sleeping, and would play as his energy allowed him. But on the 3rd day we could tell he was coming around. He played more, and ran more, he was getting better. Gizmo was living the good life now.
Last weekend marked two big events. One; we moved into a new apart-euh. Two; we took Gizmo to the vet for his first checkup and he weighed in at a staggering 400 grams. The experience was actually really traumatic for him. The vet had an iron grip on him which he wasn’t pleased about. Gizmo got clipped and he got another dose of ear mite medication. Gizmo was bawling throughout. The only time he didn’t cry was when he got his shot, actually K was the one who cried. She couldn’t even watch. Although Gizmo didn’t cry, he was traumatized. He was trembling on the desk. I felt bad for the little guy, but it was all for his own good. We paid the vet for his services and also bought some kitten milk. We gave him his first helping as soon as we got to our new home.
Everyday Gizmo gets a little bigger, a little stronger, and a little more rambunctious. He loves to play, climb, bite, sleep, and especially drink milk. We use the microwave to warm his milk to room temperature. Gizmo’s now learned to associate the sound of the microwave with milk, so when he hears the microwave start he knows what’s coming. I watched in wonder as he ran, jumped off the bed and sprinted into the kitchen today at the call of the microwave. He just about cleared four feet on that jump. Pretty good for a little kitty that still fits in one hand.
