Damnit, I would rather have happy endings. Story follows.
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
Warm and loved
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Posted 5 months ago by anncetera2 #
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I knew this would eventually happen, if I kept the postal carrier job. I had to liberate a resident's outdoor pet (if you could call her that) today. She appeared to be on the brink of expiring; when picked up, she slowly curled into a limp fetal position.
"She" appears to be one of several longhaired kittens with Siamese markings. The other littermates appeared healthier and much more normal in appearance and behavior, so I left them undisturbed at the residence, with the two adult cats.
She is not yet named, and is about 6-8 weeks of age. She weighs about 15 ounces. Her chances of surviving the night have gone up from 50% to 80% or better, based on her improvement while at the vet's office for a couple hours. She is dehydrated, malnourished, and seriously anemic from flea infestation; her blood's iron content is less than half what it should be. Her temperature appears to be rising closer to normal. (She was at 94 degrees F when initially brought to the vet this afternoon, and is closer to 97.5 F now.) After receiving warmed saline solution via IV and some glucose, she ate a little wet food after having it rubbed on her gums. She is being kept warm and comfortable with an electric blanket; we're flushing her catheter out every 3 hours tonight, and we'll be offering wet food to her as well. She tested negative for FIV and FeLV, and has now been wormed and has received an injection to rid her of fleas quickly. She has improved from comatose and nonresponsive to simply exhausted but sleeping normally.
Her breathing appears normal, and she's responding well reflexively; this is a major improvement from when I found her this afternoon. The vet verified that she would not have survived the night without intervention. If she's improved enough by morning, all the vet will do is offer advice and remove her catheter. Otherwise, she'll receive additional fluids, medication and/or other therapeutic treatment tomorrow.
I admit to having mixed feelings about this situation. I would not normally intervene in a pet owner's relationship with his or her pet, but neglect to the brink of dying from anemia tells me the pet owner might not be terribly responsible about his or her pets. (I will refrain from saying anything about the responsibility of spaying or neutering one's outdoor pets, to prevent autumn litters less likely to survive in the first place.) If the kitten's condition had not been so clearly poor, or had I not been convinced its life was in peril, I would not have intervened.
Update: The catheter flushes have gone well, with about 2.5 cc of fluid absorbed each time, every 3 hours. (Some ick factor is in the next paragraph; you've been warned.)
She's passed & vomited two sizeable masses of worms, about the size of a small English walnut each. (We saved one mass in a plastic bag to show the vet in the morning.) She's not currently eating on her own, but her swallow reflex still exists, so a bit of force-feeding Science Diet wet A/D mixed with water & Karo light corn syrup has been kept down; only about 1 cc total for the night, though. Combing her has shown that a warm bath to remove dead fleas & flea dirt will be needed, after the catheter is removed.
She is trying to purr, but is very, very weak. She is trying to crawl around and move on her own, but can only occasionally keep her head up and eyes open for a few moments. She's fighting for her life.
Photos at:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s201/anncetera/Kitten%20Oct%202009/P1000525.jpg
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s201/anncetera/Kitten%20Oct%202009/P1000523.jpg
Posted 5 months ago by anncetera2 #
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Sometimes the best I can do is not enough. Everything I did was too little, too late. She died warm and loved, though nameless; her body will be buried north of the house. I will mark the site so that I can plant a bleeding heart in the springtime.
This tragic ending shows the importance of treating outdoor kittens for fleas and worms. This kitten died a preventable death - from anemia (fleas) and malnutrition (worms). She didn't have to die from these problems! She was FIV and FeLV negative, and had a life of loving, purring potential in front of her.
Posted 5 months ago by anncetera2 #
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Oh Ann..I am sorry. Thank god she knew some warmth and love before she passed. Precious little soul. She was so beautiful. I won't get on my soapbox about neglecting animals, but it just tears me up.
I think you should name her Ann...how about Autumn since it's that time of year that you found her?
((Ann and Glenn))Posted 5 months ago by cricketsmama #
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OhmiGod, that poor, poor beautiful darling. I'm so sorry she died. Thank God you were there to give her a last night of warmth and love and peace. She is so beautiful.
My heart aches for those other kittens. How can someone leave a litter of kittens outside? It's leaving them to die. I don't think anyone who can do that has the right to call them 'their' cats when they obviously don't care if they live or die.
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CM, she was the sweetest little thing, but as bony as could be. She was getting virtually no nutrition due to the massive worm infestation.
JC, I'm going to see if I can sneak by sometime in the next day or two when they have fewer people at home, and whisk the two remaining kittens off the front porch. The vet visit just for de-fleaing and worming will run $50 each minimum, but it would give me greater peace of mind to prevent any similar unhappy endings.
Posted 5 months ago by anncetera2 #
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You were this tiny kitten's angel, Anne. Bless you for showing her that humans can provide warmth and love as she crossed the bridge. She is one of the many who will be running to greet you when your time comes. I hope you are able to save the others. Do you need help paying for their care? {{{hugs}}}
Posted 5 months ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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I'm sorry Ann {{{hugs}}} - bless you for trying. I hope you can get the other two kittens, can this person be reported to any authority?
Posted 5 months ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #
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Ohh Ann that is terribly sad. Isnt there an ASPCA or animal control you could call so that they are held accountable for the poor babies death?
I just cant stand it when people neglect thier "pets" like thatPosted 5 months ago by TheKnittingNinja #
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Ann, you are indeed an angel and at least the kitten knew love before she crossed the bridge and will tell all the other kitties about the kind woman who was her angel at the last.
Posted 5 months ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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Poor precious life. Thank you for caring for her, and making her last hours full of love and caring.
Posted 5 months ago by rainingwolf #
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KW, help is always appreciated, but I try not to ask unless I really need the help.
MCW and TKN, yes there are people they could be reported to. But cats outdoors are cats "at large" in our municipality; they don't respond to cats at large calls, as they're not generally considered a public health threat. (Rabies, for instance, is more commonly transmitted via skunks and bats than felines in our area; and domestic dogs are the primary public health threat, not cats.)
Neglect is a more difficult charge to prove than outright abuse, and the cats would most likely end up the losers in this case; the local feline adoption rate through animal control is not good.
The part that bothers me the most is that this death was entirely preventable, with a relatively inexpensive vet visit. Please, please, please... kittens don't need to die from roundworms, ear mites, and fleas!
Posted 5 months ago by anncetera2 #
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I am so sorry for your loss, Ann. You did everything you could, but it was not meant to be. I love the pics you included and send you my condolences on the loss of this precious baby. God speed to the little one, and God's blessing on you for helping her. So sorry.
Posted 5 months ago by Lynn from PA 6/8 #
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Ann, I hope you are able to get your hands on the other two kittens and get them warm, safe and healthy. My heart is breaking for the loss of the first little one.
Posted 5 months ago by KYKAT 12 23 #
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Angel-Ann... so good to see you posting, but so very sorry about the circumstances. I agree, the wee one needs a name. Autumn is a wonderful name... the one that came to my mind was Leaf.... she blew in and out of your life quickly.. and was beautiful. Thanks for all you do for these little ones Ann.
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You are a heroine, and your autumn baby will wait for you at the Bridge, along with the many others you saved.
You did the right thing, and you continue to do it, and God bless you for it.
Tonight when I go home, I am going to hug those two little rascals of mine HARD. They are such a gift, and if someone like you had not intervened, they would be lost forever. Instead, they are happy, healthy, and sassy, and they brighten every corner of my life.
Because of someone like you, Ann. You.
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That poor neglected little kitten; it hurts so much to read her sad story. You're right Ann, her life should have been love and purr-filled. We're all hoping you rescue the other kittens from a similar fate, and give them a chance for good lives in loving homes. She was so beautiful; the pictures are very moving.
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Bless you Ann for trying to save this little darling of a kitten. It breaks my heart that it didn't make it but at least it got to know care and love. I hope you can save the other two from the same fate. You are an angel to all these cats that you help. Thank you for all you do. Many hugs to you and Glenn.
Posted 5 months ago by SylvesterMiasMomma #
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A small kitten lies between the paws of a great shaggy animal, her sleepy breathing slow and shallow, and the Wolf nuzzles her tummy.
"Who are you?" whispers the little creature, waking up and gazing into the golden eyes above her.
"Welcome to the Meadow, dear one," smiles the Wolf tenderly at the small scrap of life resting next to his heart.
"Where's my mommy?" the kitten asks, puzzled. "Where's my Ann?"
Mama Kitty leans over her, washing one ear. "You will see her when she comes for you," and the kitten squirms, turning over to look closely at her two guardians. She is not scared, and yet she knows the power of the huge creature in front of her.
The autumn kitten rises to her small feet, unsteadily at first. Suddenly, she is standing strong for the first time since her birth. Her legs are straight and her head is up.
"I feel good!" she purrs loudly. "I felt warm and loved, but now I feel GOOD!"
The Wolf leans to kiss her, and the autumn kitten turns her head, looking over to the troop of kittens bouncing across the long grass in her direction. The green blades move with the wind and the storm of tiny paws — Binx, Missy, Misty, Angel, Parfait, Diamond, Koko, Bumper — all of them rushing to meet their new little friend.
"Can I go play?" the kitten asks the Wolf and the mama cat. She headbonks the smiling Wolf, and she touches the nose of the mama cat, who has finished washing her ears.
"Go!" they both laugh, and the Wolf nudges her toward them. The autumn kitten runs to meet the other kittens in the Meadow, a happy surge of tiny creatures.
"The Brook! We're going to look at the fishies in the Brook!" announces Parfait, as the little autumn kitten weaves among them, touching noses and greeting all the others.
"And the willows — they are so pretty!" The small chorus of voices rises. "And the dragonflies!" cries Binx, who loves watching their wild, beautiful flight above the willows.
The Wolf settles down on the knoll above the Meadow, watching the small animals trotting to the Brook.
"She came to us so warm, so loved," says the Wolf quietly.
"And so blessed." Mama Kitty leans against the Wolf, and the laughter and squeals of the floats back to them, borne by the gentle wind in the Meadow.
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Oh Emma, such eloquence it brings tears to my eyes. Makes one feel a little better thinking of the kitten in such a place.
Posted 5 months ago by SylvesterMiasMomma #
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