I saved a kitten and in return she saved me. (Mini Photo Documentary)

I was never a cat person....and I had no desire to get one.

I was sitting at home one evening watching the news, when I received a phone call from Alexia my Goddaughter, crying. She had found a kitten beside another larger cat who was dead, a victim of a hit and run.
She told me how she and her mother took her home and hoped to adopt her. Unfortunately her father was severely allergic to cats and they had to find her a new home quickly before her dad started to react badly.
I was not a cat person and definitely was not thrilled about this surprise adoption, but hearing the sadness and panic of Alexia thinking about never seeing her new friend again, I agreed.
Later that night they brought her over and Alexia was very happy that her new furry friend had a safe home that she could visit.
As soon as the cat was out of her carrier, she ran under my couch and disappeared. As she ran towards the couch I noticed something was wrong with her paws...They were HUGE. I tried to get a better look but she was scared and I knew I would need to gain her trust to let me get closer. I put food and water near one side of the couch, litter box on the other side, set up a nice bed for her, then did my own thing and let kitty curiosity work it's magic.
After about 2 days of hiding I saw her start to peek at me around the arm of the couch....

Still unsure of me, so I continued to ignore her and let her come to me when she was ready.
Soon she was comfortable enough to jump on the couch and watched me closely waiting for me to attack her.....but I continued to ignore her showing her I mean no harm to her and she started to relax and sleep.

Soon enough she got close enough for me to give her her first pets and then she knew that I was a friend and not here to hurt her. So I started to name off girl names until she reacted to something she liked....after about 30 names she seemed to like the name Leelou (from 5th element) so Leelou it is...weird name for a weird cat.

Finally I get to look at these paws !!!!
I was shocked, her front paws had multiple fingers and claws. I counted 8 fingers on one paw and 7 on the other. When I took her to the vets for shots and a checkup they said that they were in perfect working order and I would just have to be diligent in nail clipping.

I thought that this would inhibit her from defending herself or catching things. I was wrong. Her paws gave her heightened grabbing power and was able swat the occasional house fly that would dare enter the house with in seconds.

A couple of weeks later, I was at a friends bachelor party till the wee hours of the night and got home about 9am and was exhausted and hungry. I thought it would be a good idea to make some toast and get to bed. So I put 2 pieces of toast in the toaster and went to the couch and turned on the TV and while waiting fell asleep.

The toaster malfunctioned and did not pop, instead the toast stayed on and in the down position and had caught fire and started to spread to the cupboards.
I was awoken by Leelou when she started patting my face with her paws and meowing. I ran to the kitchen and was able to put out the fire before any real damage had occurred. I opened all my windows and was very grateful for her quick thinking.

Not only did she save my life but since then, she has protected the house from random buggy beasties, provided me with hours of entertainment and has become a trusted furry friend.

I guess I'm now a cat person now, just needed the right cat.