Today I Am A Cat Rescue!
I know this is all about choosing a dog but today things took a cat direction instead. Please read this as there is a dog-related point to it at the end.
12.50pm – Kitten emergency
The cleaner from No11 across the road just turned up on my doorstep holding a tiny kitten she had found in the garden. This poor little thing is only about 8-10 weeks old (if that). She has no collar and tag. She has filthy ears and a terrible cold, possibly cat flu.
Of course I have taken her in. In half an hour we got to the vets to get her some shots and antibiotics. Then I will see if there is a cat rescue that can take her, unless Robin asks if I am going to keep her.
At the moment she is quarantined in the conservatory. She is a sweet little thing and very affectionate. She will make someone a lovely pet. Kylah and Arwen have already given her lots of kisses and she wasn’t the least bit worried.
Hoolie Cat is not impressed with this supposed new edition to the family!
1.35pm – Call to Cats Protection League
I called one of the local branches of the Cats Protection League and got her registered on the waiting list for a home. The lady said it could be 2 weeks before they could find her a place in foster care. Well that’s what life’s like in rescue. They are always over-run.
2.15pm – At the vets
The vet says she is only 7-8 weeks old, maximum. Not microchipped and unlikely to have been vaccinated. She has a bad chest infection and ‘might not make it’. She weighs just 0.8 kgs.
He could not vaccinate her but I gave her the antibiotic drops he prescribed as soon as I got back to the car, then went shopping for emergency kitten supplies.
3.38pm – Home at last
Armed with kitten food, kitten milk, a kitten collar and tag. I am now going to put up the greyhound sized indoor kennel with soft bedding, food, milk and newspaper to toilet on. Hopefully I will nurse this little kitten back to health.
I have to keep her separate from my own cat to avoid transferring the infection.
6.42pm – Milk time
She woke up from her sleep and was crying. I have given her two small syringes of cat milk to try and get fluids into her This seems to have done the trick as she has gone back to sleep. I think this little thing is barely weaned. Later I will try and hand feed her some salmon mashed into kitten food.
Update
‘Kitten’ is now called Dot. She has been with me nearly 5 weeks and is fully recovered from her ordeal. She is now weaned, eating well and putting on weight nicely. She is double the size she was when I took her in. She loves the dogs and curls up with Arwen if she can’t get on my lap. She has taken to climbing the curtains and is in that lovely exploring stage where everything is fun.
In the last 2 weeks I have very often been typing with a kitten on my shoulder!
It has taken a lot of care and cost to get her where she is now. Dot has a place in a local cat rescue on 13th December 2011 so they can find a very special home for this special little girl.
Why you should rescue your pet
It has cost about £200 to keep Dot, but that’s not very much to save a life. I’ll never get that money back, but that’s not important. This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cost of rescuing a sick or injured animal.
Most rescue centres and shelters rely on donations to do their work. However, the cost of veterinary visits, treatment, neutering and vaccinations is always way more than you pay when you adopt a dog. A lot of their income is from people who never take a pet, but want to give their support anyway.
The emotional and physical cost of rescuing and caring for an animal is enormous, and this is never paid for. Our reward is seeing that animal go to a home where it will be loved and cherished for the rest of its life.
When you come to choose a dog, please go to a rescue centre first. The dogs there are just like Dot – abandoned, mistreated and unloved. Most of them are good dogs who will enrich your life every bit as much as a pedigree puppy.
If you can’t choose a dog right now, why not make yourself feel good and save a life by just donating a small amount anyway. The more you give, the more spaces there are and the more dogs can be saved.
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