Porch cat has a porch kitten.

Porch kitten, who is probably about a month old (teeth, eyes that ought to be open - yeah, it's like that - no interest in solid food) has a respiratory infection. Vet says bills will start out at over $100 for checkup + testing for FIV and all, and quite probably top out somewhere over $200.

Which is bad enough, but the kids saw porch kitten first, and although they valiantly declared they'd sacrifice their allowance, we just don't have that money. The vet isn't going to accept her bill in weekly increments of $10, and I wouldn't ask her to.

But one neighbor has started providing more food and a warm box to sleep in, and another sighed and handed out antibiotics, so tomorrow I'll suck it up and ask if they're both willing to split the cost with me. To be perfectly honest, I'm not terribly convinced that medical care will be enough for the kitten at this point, it's rather scrawny and frighteningly docile for the kitten of a feral cat, but I want to be able to tell the nieces that at least we tried. Halfsies wouldn't work, but a three way split might be doable.

(This is 2am. Just posting a few articles, not bothering with a cut, sorry.)

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Why Germany now requires people to be trained before using some elevators

NATO flexes muscles in Baltics, Poland

What happens when you pour molten aluminum into a watermelon

Head of Mali's main Tuareg-led rebels hopeful on peace deal

Minnesota's last one-room schoolhouse counts on its longtime teacher

China is not the only country reclaiming land in South China Sea

Study: Breastfed children have slightly lower risk of childhood leukemia

More Than 5,000 Migrants Rescued on the Mediterranean Since Friday

Cattle herd navigates alligator-infested Texas floodwaters in march to dry ground as cowboys hold old-fashioned drive.

One of four Americans held by Houthi rebels in civil war-torn Yemen has been released

Executive Dysfunction

A Muslim woman beat Abercrombie & Fitch. Why her Supreme Court victory is a win for all Americans. (Even Scalia was on her side! Clarence Thomas, alas, was the predictable sole dissenter. Still, breaking up the dream team and getting Scalia to see reason is a victory in and of itself!)

The case for starting sex education in kindergarten (DO NOT read the comments.)

14 Years After Decriminalizing All Drugs, Here's What Portugal Looks Like

Group of Men Have Played Game of Tag for 23 Years; Hiding in Bushes, Cars

11 Terrifying Childcare Inventions From The Early 20th Century

One church’s sunset means a new day for another

In Norway, A Prison Built On Second Chances

What Would It Take to Double a Cell Phone’s Battery Life?

Pretty Salad

Cholera outbreak among Burundi refugees in Tanzania slowing: UN

New strategy to halt HIV growth: block its sugar and nutrient pipeline

Why Disney’s “first African princess” is the spirit animal for global white supremacy

Fatal police shootings in 2015 approaching 400 nationwide

Ukraine prisoners stranded in legal limbo on the frontline of a war

Turkey election: Kurds, women, gays put faith in upstart party

Here’s How Revolting Your Contact Lenses Are

Pool industry touts water savings in California drought

Edit: Well, it didn't seem like that many when I started out!