How a sick kitten on my doorstep put me in a spin.

The sickly kitten.
The sickly kitten.

 Who’s at the door?

When my neighbours knocked on the door last Sunday evening and said they had a cat problem, immediately my mind raced to images of my Leo sitting on their laundry (he used to do that to my previous neighbour as well as stealing 1/2 used food pouches from their Kitchen) but I was way off base (sorry Leo for thinking the worst of you).

It turns out they had found a kitten at the side of the road. There were no others kittens and no cats nearby and the people on that road didn’t know who it belonged to. So, after asking around, they brought it to me! Well, the lady of the house IS very scared of cats (I’m sure that’s why Leo delighted in trying to rub up against her leg .. she actually jumped) and knew I was an ‘animal person’.

Now, I don’t want another cat and don’t spend my days waiting for waifs and strays to play with, but I knew they didn’t have a clue what to do with it and I had a hunch it needed some care asap. So, I scooped it up and brought it into the guest room (away from my other cats, in case it was infectious) ‘just for the night’.

Once I got it inside and had a look at it,  a girl as it turned out, my heart sank. Her eyes were gummed together with discharge, her nose was runny and her bottom was very mucky. Oh dear. We have no vets on call here, so I set to work to set up a comfortable space for her overnight.

I’ll admit to having reservations. Thoughts of contagion, the logistics of keeping her seperate from my own cats, wondering about the future for her all passed by my mind, but I ousted them and focused on the task in hand – keeping her alive and helping her to recover. The questions could be dealt with tomorrow – if indeed she made it through the night.

I stayed with her that night, accompanied by Sally the dog (who would mammy anything) and we kept her warm, fed her and I did energy work and tapping for her. She cried every few hours, for food and to be put on the litter tray.

The dilemma.

The next morning, she had improved, so we took her to the vet (with Sally who was due to get her cone off, at last). The vet said that they wouldn’t think badly of us for having her put to sleep, as her case of flu was quite severe, but also that there was life in her still and that some kittens can pull through with care. Well, I just couldn’t face putting her to sleep. I wondered if she had owners looking for her, missing her. I wondered about her potential for recovery. So, we agreed to give her some antibiotics and see how she does over the coming week. I’m still not committing to taking her on full time, but I want to give her a chance.

It is a dilemma in that situation. It’s hard to know if they’ll pull through or whether they have contracted serious diseases such as feline aids (she can’t be tested for diseases for another month) that could compromise their future health. Yet some kittens make a complete recovery from early illness and lead full healthy lives.

It’s also a responsibility of care, even if she gets to find a new home (or can be returned to her old home) once she’s well. It takes time and energy to nurse a sick kitten and keep them quarentined. It’s doubly hard in a situation like this, when they don’t have known owners (in a domestic situation, illness can be spotted and treated early).

So, I stay in the moment. and take it a day at a time. We’ll see if we can find her owners, or a new home if she’s not a good fit for our bunch (who are already glaring at her through the glass door).

Right now, Baby (as she has been nicknamed in the house) is doing really well – her eyes are clearing up, she’s using the litter tray perfectly, she’s starting to play more … and she’s already a natural at doing cute things that can pull on our heartstrings!

This week’s tapping video.

As I’m working a lot with Baby this week, I thought I’d give you a sneaky peek of her now and demonstrate using EFT tapping to help her. You can tap along for your own pet ( it doesn’t have to be a kitten) and see how it helps them.

You can find out more about using EFT tapping to help your pets in my Free Video Series on the subject.

Have your say.

What have your experiences been with dealing with ill or stray kittens? If you have an ill pet and tried the tapping video, let me know how you got on, did it help? Let me know in the comments area below.

Thank you.


UPDATE:

Baby was just to darn cute to resist and as no owners were found for her, she became part of our family.
She made a full recovery from her cat flu after receiving lots of tlc, some energy work and lots of cuddles and fuss.
Many thanks to nurse Sally dog for keeping her amused during her time in quarantine.
Here she is after making her recovery.

EFT tapping for animals and pets

One Response to How a sick kitten on my doorstep put me in a spin.

  1. […] Also, your pets pick up and respond well to your positive energy and thoughts. For example, the kitten pictured above, Baby, came to me as a tiny sick kitten. I know that, in addition to the energy work and vet care that she received, that my positive intention for her well-being played a large part in her recovery. You can read her story here. […]