Annalise Burke and her mom are animal lovers. When they noticed a stray cat wandering around outside their home, they wanted to save her. They weren’t used to seeing stray cats in their neighborhood in rural Idaho, so they felt someone had probably dropped her off.
When they attempted to catch the cat, so they could take her to the humane society, they found out that she had given birth to two kittens.
One of the kittens had already died, and another was very sick and weak.
The mother cat was nowhere to be found, but they hoped she would come back to care for her sick baby. Still, they couldn’t leave her where she was without helping, so they took the kitten in until they saw the mother cat again.
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They were able to catch her, and they took both her and her sick baby to the local humane society, so they could get some proper medical attention. When the mother and daughter got home, they heard more crying from a nearby shed. It was very faint, and they had to listen hard to hear it.
When they looked under the shed, they found another tiny baby kitten.
She was covered in dirt and was clearly sick, too. They rescued her and wondered if she would survive. They knew the kitten hadn’t had any milk for a long time, and she was very weak. Burke explained:
“She had been alone under the shed for at least eight hours. We dug to get her out. Her face and mouth were covered in dirt, with dirt all inside her throat. She was coughing and wheezing.”
They took the kitten inside, started to clean her up, and attempted to feed her.
They noticed that she had been eating dirt and rocks while trying to survive. This had only made things worse for her. She was in need of veterinary care. They took her to the vet, where they got some sad news.
The vet said that the kitten was simply too small and weak, and they didn’t expect for her to survive. They suggested putting her down for a quick and painless death. But Burke and her mom couldn’t do that.
Burke said:
“We cried and said our goodbyes. The vet asked if we wanted to put her down peacefully or see if she has a small chance of living. My mom let me decide because I would have to put my life on hold to care for her. I said I was going to try.”
Burke quit her summer job and cared for the kitten day and night to keep her alive.
It wasn’t easy, and she had several days and nights where the kitten seemed near death’s door. But still, Burke couldn’t give up on her. She said:
“I didn’t know if she was going to live or die, and she scared us several times after that by stopping breathing … but she miraculously pulled through.”
Thanks to Burke and her mom, the kitten survived.
Although she still has a long way to go, she is getting stronger and healthier each day. She has started eating wet cat food and is learning to wander around a little bit. Her recovery is amazing. She and Burke have a close bond, and she seems to know that Burke saved her life. Burke added:
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“Gemma truly had an extreme will to live, after everything. It was worth putting my life on hold for her. She is truly an angel.”
Not everyone would be able to put this much time into caring for a sick kitten.
Burke never gave up on the tiny cat, and as a result, she saved her life. Hopefully, Gemma can continue to grow stronger and healthier and will have a long, happy life ahead of her with the Burke family. She is clearly very loved, and she even has her own Instagram page where her owners share her story and recovery.
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