A happy ending for mom and kittens, thanks to a little help from my friends

You win some, you lose some, and some you win in totally unexpected ways.  That was the case with a young mamma cat I recently crossed paths with.  She'd been abandoned in late October outside a Dallas vet's office.  The note attached to the carrier read "My kitty is pregnant and I can't keep her. Please help her."  The veterinarians couldn't keep her, so she was taken to Dallas Animal Services where they fed her and made her as comfortable as possible.  The very next day she gave birth to five tiny kittens. 

Knowing the busy shelter was no place for a young mom and newborn kittens, the animal control officers at DAS put out a plea to local rescuers to see if anyone could help.  Elizabeth Bell of Southern Animal Foundation saw her photo (above) on Facebook and immediately fell for her.  Already bursting at the seams with homeless animals, SAF pledged to take the mom cat and kittens if someone could get her out of Dallas Animal Services and over to New Orleans.  I must have fallen for that photo, too, because before I knew it, I'd agreed to take in the little family and find a way to get them to New Orleans.  We had a plan.

She was a beautiful little cat and only about six months old.  A striking dilute tabby cat, with various shades of gray and pretty peach points, she was friendly and affectionate.  She loved everyone she met, and purred the minute you touched her.  Already a great mom, she seemed truly grateful to have a warm, quiet place to care for her kittens.

But the day after she arrived, she started sneezing.  Suspecting an upper respiratory infection from being exposed to so many cats while at the shelter, I took her to see the vets at Richardson Veterinary Clinic.  They started her on a round of antibiotics they hoped would be strong enough to keep the infection from getting worse, but gentle enough not to harm the nursing kittens.  The trip to New Orleans was put on hold. 

Last Friday, the mom cat took a turn for the worse and had to be rushed back to the vet clinic.  She was hospitalized and blood tests were run.  Her fever was nearly 105 (dangerously high), x-rays showed an unusual abdominal abnormality, and she'd lost 1/2 pound in just three days even though she'd been eating normally.  The vets weren't immediately able to nail down what was causing her illness and needed time to run more tests, but they warned me she might not survive.  Even if she did, they were convinced she could never be reunited with her kittens.  She'd need stronger antibiotics which weren't safe for nursing kittens, possibly surgery, and the stress on her already-depleted immune system could kill her. 

At 8 days old, the five kittens, one gray, one black, one brown tabby and two grey & whites- all boys, were on their own.  The bottle feeding started immediately - every two hours at first and then every three.  All day and all night.  It took a while for the kittens, who had only just begun to open their eyes, to adjust, with a few initially refusing the bottle.  That's when Cat Matchers stepped up to help.  They had a volunteer with expertise at bottle feeding and almost as important, she had easy access to vets at the emergency clinic where she worked.  She took the kittens on Sunday, and with her skill and a little patience, four of them began to thrive.  Sadly, one steadfastly refused the bottle and despite everyone's best attempts, did not make it. 

In the meantime, the vets at Richardson Veterinary Clinic continued to care for the mama cat throughout the weekend. Initial tests came back negative for contagious viruses, but she had a high white cell count- normally an indicator of a serious infection.  The vets and the staff reported she was doing well, though - resting comfortably, happy and very friendly.  She wasn't out of the woods yet, but the vets had become more optimistic she'd survive.

Today the final test came back, and thankfully it was also negative.  But the vets called to say they still wanted to keep her a bit longer - a lot longer, in fact.  They'd fallen in love with her.  They'd lost one of their two clinic cats recently to old age and decided they wanted to adopt the mama kitty.

I could never have imagined a happier ending for this lovely kitty who had been through so much.  She absolutely loves being the center of attention at the clinic, where she's got all the comforts of home and the best vet care possible.  And the four surviving kittens are happy and healthy as well.  They'll available for adoption through Cat Matchers in about six weeks.  Mom Cat never made it to New Orleans, and sadly, one kitten was lost, but thanks to the caring folks at Dallas Animal Services, Cat Matchers, and Richardson Veterinary Clinic, she got her happy ending – in an unexpected way.

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Copyright Rebecca Poling 2010.  All rights reserved.