Three Tiny Helpless Kittens
We have taken in three tiny little kittens from a veterinary practice in Maidstone.
They were handed in to the practice by someone who said they were found on a building site where a house was under construction, under a shed. When we spoke to the nurse involved, we explained that if at all possible, the mother needed to be found as it the kitten’s best chance of survival, and we asked her if she could go to the address she was given.
She went to the address and spoke with a number of residents, only to find that there was no building site, no house under construction, and of course no recently pregnant cat. With the realisation that all of the details they had been given were untrue, it was fairly clear that these poor little kittens had been removed from their mother and dumped at the vets.
This is an extremely cruel thing to do, not least because little kittens need their mother, but their mother also needs them, and she
would be distressed and confused. However, given the sad and desperate situation we have of course taken them in.
Hand rearing newborn kittens is not an easy process, and requires essential round the clock 24 hour care and attention. It isn’t just a matter of feeding, but toileting and cleaning - which at this stage of life they can’t do for themselves - must be done regularly too. Of the three, one of them is extremely thin and weak, and we are very worried that despite our care and attention, he may not survive. The other two babies are stronger and taking their feed well.
This is a prime example of people being irresponsible and neglecting the cat in their care. The mother of these kittens should have been spayed, and even when finances are tight, there are rescues and organisations that can help. The sad truth is that she will once again come into season, and become pregnant again and again in a repeated cycle, reminiscent of the ignorance of a bygone age – something that in today’s enlightened times is completely unnecessary.
We are however concentrating on the immediate issue of these three poor little motherless kittens. We will update this post with their progress as they grow.