Family cats and dogs helped bring a tiny kitten back to life, after she was found at three days old.
A 3-day-old kitten, Fiona, was brought to Hamilton Humane (in Indiana) as a singleton, desperately needing help. She weighed just 82 grams, the size of a small newborn kitten.
Kelsey Minier, a foster volunteer of the rescue, took her in and started round-the-clock care. “She had an upper respiratory infection but was too small to treat,” Kelsey shared with us.
They kept the little tabby warm and fed, and provided supplemental care.
Fiona started to gain weight and strength, and eventually latched onto the bottle on her own. Things were going well for a few days but suddenly took a turn for the worse.
“She started losing energy and stopped feeding. We took her to the shelter vets the next day. They did x-rays and inspected her, but couldn’t find a real answer. We were sent home with antibiotics, the smallest dose due to her size,” Kelsey told us.
“That day and night, she continued to decline. We started the fading kitten protocol and decided to stay up all night with her to keep her comfortable in the event that she didn’t make it.”
The resident dogs and cats also came to offer a helping paw. “The dogs had bonded with her and we kept her warm on our chests in a blanket. The whole family had a slumber party on the couch and we cuddled all night long.”
“Somehow, she made it through the night. She still wasn’t eating, and her body was completely limp but she was alive.”
Kelsey continued to syringe-feed the kitten while her feline and canine residents provided constant emotional support. That afternoon, Fiona was strong enough to prop herself up, and made a valiant effort to eat from a bottle again.
“All of a sudden she latched and drank more than she had total in two days. We cried. We were so happy,” Kelsey shared with us.
Watch Fiona the kitten in this cute video:
Fiona even convinced Tucker, the gray cat, to be her snuggle buddy. “Tucker generally never wants anything to do with kittens, but he seems to have accepted her for the time being.”
As the tabby girl grew bigger and stronger, her personality emerged.
“She loves our 11-month-old puppy, Ethel. They lay on the couch together every day, and Fiona loves to hop around and paw Ethel in the face,” Kelsey added.
Ethel is very gentle with Fiona and loves showering her with licks and snuggles.
“Fiona pretends to not like it but will continue to walk over to see Ethel. She will swat Ethel’s face but also just sits and stares at her.”
Fiona has graduated from her bottle and is eating big kitty food like a champ. She is a ball of energy when she plays, and turns into a cuddle-bug when she settles down.
Jasper the resident cat often volunteers to kitten-sit. He shows Fiona the ropes and teaches her proper feline etiquette.
With the help of her loving foster family, Fiona is thriving and living everyday to the fullest.
