After only having Miaow Miaow in over the last few weeks, today was a nightmare.
This morning had a call from a woman in Portsmouth. Her cat had given birth two weeks prematurely and two did not make it, but two were still alive and mum had rejected them
Rushed over there but by the time I arrived another one had died. I have never seen such premature little ones, they basically had no fur, no eyes and their skin was "sticky" to the touch. Rushed the two of them to my vets, (took the little one in case he was still alive) but on arrival they had both passed away. To be honest, I don't think they would have survived long, impossible to tell if their organs had even developed fully.
Got back home and got a call from the PDSA to say they had two 7-10 day old kittens handed in, could I take them. Got over there to discover that they are not 7 days old, probably only two to three. They were found in a carboard box in a park by someone's dog. One of them was deformed, had no tail and no anus and was already swelling in the abdomen so it was decided to let him go. The other one, a beautiful white and tortie girl, who looks like a persian, has a cleft palate and I think she will have to be put to sleep tomorrow unless I can convince my vet to let me try tube feeding to see if it can be repaired. Anyone had any luck with a kitten with cleft palate?
Finally started to relax about 7.30 this evening and got a call about a mum who had given birth to kittens under their decking. They have a dog and have foxes come in the garden so were worried for the safety of the kittens. By the time I got to this one mum had scarpered with one kitten but left the other one behind. The gentleman had tried moving the kittens so I don't know whether mum was scared off or if she was just moving them. The garden was a complete tip with woodpiles 6 ft high, an empty swimming pool and numerous other obstacles. It backs on to a naval base which is apparently full of foxes and goes on for miles. We tried searching for mum and tried waiting to see if she would return but no sign. The family finally decided they would like me to take the remaining kitten, as it was now getting cold, and no one knew if mum would return. They had not seen her before today and had no idea of where she had come from or gone to.
So out of six kittens, I have one day old kitten and one 2/3 day old with a cleft palate that probably won't make it, and will be another heartbreaker, and a sleepless night ahead. I hope tomorrow is quieter.
