On June 28, 2011, I got a call from William, saying he had heard meowing from a pile of debris but needed assistance to catch the poor little scared creature. I dropped everything I was doing and headed over immediately. Sure enough, there was a tiny kitten in a pile of tornado rubble.

This sweet kitten went under a mattress, and did not want to be caught.

But after a little bit of back and forth cat-and-mouse chasing, we got our hands on her.

She was so tiny and weak! I took her home with me, and with no idea what I was doing but knowing she had to get something in her belly, I filled a bottle with kitten formula and hoped she would drink from it. Turned out, that was not a problem, and she chewed the nipple right off! The problem was keeping the other cats away so she could get something into her starving belly. She sounded a little bit like a horse.

 

So I got some canned food for her and she ate it,

then fell asleep in my hands. She was so tiny!

Within a few days, she was completely domesticated, and very brave. And she always has a lot to say.

 

I named her Ruby, short for Rubble, and also because she is a real gem.