Trees turn colour early in Saskatchewan and fall is just a quick slip of a season before winter's cold arrives to stay. The veterinary teaching hospital where I worked was across the bridge from my apartment. Although the drive to work was short and pretty, my job was anything but. Until an animal health technician position opened up, where I could use my newly acquired skills, I was stuck on kennel duty and I hated it. I quickly cleaned and fed the patients in the cat ward. Then I moved to the large dog runs. Hot water shot out of the hose, sending excrement and bits of food rolling down the trough to the drain at the end. Even with my nose clamped shut, I could taste the smell at the back of my throat and I knew it clung to my clothing when I went home. Finally I came to the smaller cages on the dog ward. It was quiet that day and I progressed quickly until I came to the last cage. Inside, to my astonishment, crouched a tiny kitten, thin and filthy, its eyes crusted and running. Too young to be away from its mother, but not old enough to be vaccinated, this kitten was in the no-man's land of infectious disease. And he'd been abandoned. I cleaned him up as best I could, but he was just a baby and a messy one at that. His coat was stained and matted from one end to the other, and when I set down his dish of warm gruel I saw why. He promptly climbed right in, slurping and kneading the dish with his paws as if he knew he should still be nursing at his mother's side. I hoped he'd find a home but I knew his chances were slim. There was no way I could take him; my apartment was strictly No Pets. If he were at least cute, there was a chance someone would take pity on him. But he was sickly, dirty, noisy, and ugly. Who would want such a kitten?