Gustav on my living room carpet

Some of you already know about Gustav and his story, but for those who don't, here's the scoop...

Monday, May 19 I was working on the computer (surprise) when I heard a terrific yowling coming from outside my front window.  Now, I live on the second floor of my apartment building, so this was automatically a concern... because this was CLOSE.  I ran out front, and what I saw gave me a shiver; there was a little black kitten perched on my neighbor's balcony, yelling his little head off.  And when he turned around, I saw why... his back was essentially a mass of raw meat. 

The neighbor in question had barricaded herself in her house and was at her window yelling at the poor thing to go away, and shouted to me that she was calling Animal Control.  I knew right away that this kitten would have NO chance if they picked him up; so I quickly grabbed a plastic bag, wrapped it around him, and hauled him into my apartment where I proceeded to carefully scrub him down in the tub.

In doing so, I could see that the wounds were only on the surface ("It's only a flesh wound"), but I still had no idea what could have eaten him up like that; I presumed it was a bad mite infestation or something (hence my caution in handling him as well as being as thorough as possible in cleaning him).  Once that chore was done, I put him in one of the cat carriers, and headed for the Dog and Cat Hospital on 21st Street downtown, not too far away.

He had stopped yelling by this time, and was being quite well-behaved; he was quiet on the trip over in the car (a rarity for a cat), but kept trying to dig at his wounds with his claws (now clipped).  Finally, the vet was able to see him, and what she told me had happened made me so angry I almost started to shake... someone had intentionally poured a caustic liquid (acid, lye, Drano, something) on him which severely burned his skin and caused the wounds and infection which he kept scratching at.

This kitten can not be more than two months old, and someone INTENTIONALLY did this to him.

I explained to the doctor that I wasn't sure if I was going to keep him, given my current income situation and the two other cats in the house, but that I wanted to ensure he was taken care of.  She prescribed some antibiotics and ear mite medication for him, and being the kindhearted person she is, waived the office visit fee.  So, he came back here, unnamed but already on the road to recovery.

On Thursday, I took him back up for a few tests to see if he was clear of FIV or leukemia; by this time, the little guy had really started to heal fast, but was still being amazingly well behaved considering he was kept in the bathroom all this time.  The tests came back clean (and it took THREE people to hold him down to draw blood...) which was great news, as I had decided he would stay if he would not infect the other cats.  By this time, I'd discussed names with some other friends, and those who had met him agreed that Gustav seemed to be a *great* name for him.

As of today (5/27), his scars are almost completely healed over- this is rather amazing, considering how bad they were just a week ago.  Even the vet wanted to know what else I was doing for him; "nothing but antibiotics, kitten food, and lots of attention".  The other two cats (Five and Hobbes) ignore him like an equal :)... and I honestly do not believe I've ever had such a well-adapted kitten with such a sweet personality.

So, that's the story of Gustav so far.  And now, some pictures.  The first ones are a bit difficult to look at, if you are an animal lover...