A calico kitten who was found in a plant nursery, is determined to get back on her paws.
Earlier this year, Carmen Weinberg, the founder of Animal Friends Project, received a plea for help for a tiny kitten found in a large commercial plant nursery in Loxahatchee, Florida.
A worker was moving some planters when he spotted a calico with an injured paw. He brought the kitten to his coworkers and hoped to find her help. “Elsa (one of the coworkers) called me in a panic, asking me if I could come and get the kitten. I could hear the kitten crying loudly (in the background),” Carmen shared with us.
Carmen was about 40 minutes from the nursery. No one else was available at the time, so she got on her way to the kitten’s rescue.
When she arrived, Elsa rushed over with the kitten in her arms. The calico’s right front paw was severely damaged and she was covered in fleas. Carmen immediately took her to an animal hospital to be treated. “I held the kitten in my lap. She was very young. Her eyes were opened but her ears were still kind of folded.”
The kitten had two broken toes that needed to be removed. The vet who treated her, lovingly called her Toes, and the name stuck.
“He asked me if I was willing to bottle feed her and take her to the hospital every day for bandage changes. I agreed,” Carmen told us.
Toes or Twinkle Toes was so happy to have someone to care for her, that she purred nonstop. She visited the hospital daily to get her paw cleaned and bandage changed. “The staff at the hospital were always excited to see her.”
Despite having her paw in a tiny cast, Toes insisted on exercising her legs and even started to explore.
“I was amazed at how well baby Toes moved around. She was awake for longer periods of time and wanted me to carry her around.”
A few weeks into her healing, Toes was finally bandage free. She became an adorable purr machine and a ball of energy.
She was very active and tried to play with all the toys she could find. In no time, the kitten turned into a playful, adventurous calico.
“Toes cannot put weight on her paw, but she uses the leg to try to grab things, especially when she is playing. She is a very sweet kitten. She starts purring the moment she sees people. She knows her name well.”
Once she is big enough, her paw will be re-evaluated to ensure quality of life for the deserving calico.
Toes adores other foster kitties and wants to befriend them all.
Recently, Carmen brought home a few kittens that needed foster care. One of them was a mini version of Toes. When the tiny calico climbed out of her nest one day, Twinkle Toes seized the opportunity and came running.
She gave her little lookalike some nose kisses and spent some time kitten-sitting her. “Twinkle Toes looks huge next to the little one”
After a rough start, Toes bounced back and is well on her way to a great future.
