This is Leeloo Lotus – who was found in an abandoned house in Detroit. The Flower House is a great art project, where a derelict home is being converted into a temporary art installation, by filling it with flowers. During one of the prep work weekends, a tiny mewing was heard coming from the wall. After a little investigating, a tiny and dirty face appeared in a hole in the wall. There was no sign of mother or any litter mates. As nobody working on the project could reasonably care for him, a call for support was put out on social media. I instantly knew I had to help, even if that was only fostering him to get his strength and size up. I already had 4 adult cats, and I’d always claimed that was my limit.
Leeloo was estimated to be about 3 weeks old, weighed less than ¾ of a pound, and needed bottle feeding for a week or two. It’s been a learning experience – I’ve lived with many cats over the years, but none so young or fragile. There have been a half dozen vet trips; he’s gone through eye infections, a bloated belly, allergies, and cat flu in just a few weeks! But now, he’s 3 months old, almost quadrupled in weight, in good health, and settling in nicely! Once he got out of quarantine in his own room, one of my adult cats completely adopted him, and now they’re pretty much inseparable.
I’m not sure if I was just deceiving myself at first, but after just a few days it was clear this was no foster – and Leeloo is happily settling into his new, permanent home. His unusual name came as his initial rescuer called him Lotus (given where he was found), and I like to name my cats after sci-fi characters - as the fifth cat, I had to go with the lead from the Fifth Element!
Ann Arbor, MI
