A little cat and his caregiver’s perseverance

Mas Ayu shared this:


Very recently, I had this experience concerning a one year-old male stray cat which I have been caring for since he was dumped as a very tiny kitten alongside with his brother early last year. They had both looked similar, both white and orange, so having run out of nice boy names temporarily, I had named the brother O/W No.1 and him O/W No.2.

Early last week, I had noticed No.2 sleeping on a cardboard box in a corner, not his usual active self and he had not come rushing for the food I dished out every day for the gang. I had thought him just sleepy then and left him alone. 

The next day, same thing: sleeping in the same box and not coming to eat as usual. He just looked at me. I was in a rush and did not go over to him.

Third day, same thing and concerned that he had not been eating (from experience, if a cat/kitten is not greedy for food something is definitely wrong, so my alarm bell went up), felt he must be unwell. I walked over to him, examined him and found him very ill, gums and tongue pale white and signs of yellow (jaundice, liver malfunction). 

He looked very weak and had lost weight and I felt he definitely would die without support. So I force fed him A/D, water and antibiotics to give his body the much needed nutrients to resist whatever was ailing him. 

I pinched his scruff to check his dehydration level and it was not too bad, indicating that he still managed to drink some on his own – a very good sign.

Repeated force-feeding and antibiotics for 3 days although his condition looked so very bad (he moved very weekly, swallowed with great difficulty) and the idea of euthanasia had crossed my mind several times. Many vets readily put down an animal upon sight of jaundice indicating liver failure. 

But somewhere at the back of my mind, I had hoped that his previously very healthy body (I feed all strays with premium Blackwood kitten kibbles available cheaper in breeder packs as investment for healthier bodies against diseases and illnesses found in the very harsh life of strays) and age would be an advantage and I had read that if the animal manages to survive past 4-5 days, there is a very good chance of recovery. 

It had been very heart-rending period and I had so little time to give him the individual attention. I resisted putting him down because I felt that as long as he could swallow, he had stood a chance and I continued to force-feed him his antibiotics and what ever little A/D he could swallow successfully without stressing him and draining him of what little energy he had left in his frail body.

I saw a ray of hope appear the day the yellow color start disappearing from his still whitish gums and skin. 

The next day I could scarcely believe my eyes and held my heart still … though still very pale, I saw a very faint trace of pink color return to his gums and tongue. 

I continued with the medication and could feed him more A/D. And he started to stand up and take several wobbly steps to nuzzle against my legs and then sat down again, tired out.

This morning, I saw him waiting for me. He walked over and ate a little on his own as I dished out yummies for the whole gang. 

I will continue force feeding the medication and A/D to boost his system towards full recovery. 

I learnt several important things from this positive experience. I am very glad I pushed on and did not give up on No.2! Lives of strays have value too ….


Updates:


KY, I has just returned from checking on No.2 at lunchtime. This morning b4 rushing off to office, I had successfully given him 20mls of A/D by syringe plus his Vibravet when he had come out of his resting place to where I was standing. Lunchtime, he had again walked to me when he discerned my presence in the area and I managed to syringe-feed him another 30mls. of A/D. He walks around more and sits instead of lying down like he did previously, indicating he is stronger.

Don’t say die … try, try and try!