Sick, Starving & about to Die

Chaffinch and Oriel, very sick kittens

Back in October 2014 we brought four sick and starving kittens into our care.

We named them Oriel, Chaffinch, Magpie and Bluebird.

They had been born outside on a farm and at around four weeks old their equally sick and starving mother had died, leaving them weak, vulnerable and completely unable to fend for themselves.

Bluebird, sick, weak and tiny suffering from diarrhoea

Once at our centre, the full extent of their condition was horribly apparent.

They were so weak that they could barely stand and were all suffering from diarrhoea so badly that whatever tiny amount of food they had the strength to eat, simply flooded out of them.

Chaffinch, the little tortie was suffering from fly strike and had maggots living in her leg, which thank goodness we and our vets were able to treat in time.

We knew that these were very sick kittens and would need a great deal of dedicated care in order to survive.

All four babies, still sick but beginning to respond

They were treated by our vet and over next few weeks it was touch and go. We had to give them daily medication and constantly clean and feed them, treat their sore bottoms and legs with cream, worrying all the time that they may not make it.

Bluebird, well now but undersized due to his illness  

However, at around four weeks of being in our care they began to turn the corner. Bluebird gave us a couple of scares when he suffered set backs but he pulled through and they were all now well at last.

Oriel and Chaffinch were so healthy and well that they were able to be made available for adoption, but due to their harsh start in life, Bluebird and Magpie were rather small for their age so were still receiving extra TLC until their growth and development was as expected for kittens of their age. 

Magpie, well now but needing extra TLC 

This is sadly not an isolated case. Kittens just like these frequently die of starvation, slowly and in extreme pain with no-one to care. 

The lack of neutering and persistent ignorance regarding the domestic nature of cats and their needs, all too often leads to situations like this.

We aim to educate people in all aspects of cat care and encourage all cat lovers to do the same. 

 Chaffinch & Oriel, healthy and happy kittens, ready to go to a loving home

We were extremely happy that after a lot of effort and sleepless nights, all four of these lovely, plucky little kittens went to caring homes.