A kitten who vets feared was days from death has defied the odds to survive and is thriving in her new home thanks to the care of pet charity Blue Cross.
The six week old youngster weighed 0.4kg, less than half a healthy kitten of her age, when she was brought into the care of the team at Blue Cross in Manchester after her owner could no longer care for her.
Vets found the kitten had a swollen abdomen and needed urgent treatment for worms, ear mites, fleas and suspected cat flu.
Charlotte Ayres, Animal Welfare Assistant at the pet charity’s rehoming centre on Blackburn Street in Radcliffe, said: “She was extremely poorly, with discharge coming from her eyes and she was wobbly and lethargic. Her owner had contacted us for help and said he couldn’t keep the kittens. Sadly, one of the kittens passed away before we could even admit it to a vet.”
At just six weeks old, the kittens had been separated from their mother too early and were struggling for survival. Fortunately, the team at our Manchester rehoming centre stepped in to help.
Marie went into the care of a Blue Cross foster home where she could be closely monitored as it was still touch and go whether the tiny kitten would pull through.
One night, Marie suddenly took a turn for the worse and had to be rushed to the vets after becoming extremely lethargic and wobbly. She was hospitalised immediately and urgently treated with medication in the in the hope of saving her life.
Thankfully, after five days in hospital and round the clock care, little Marie started to show small signs of improvement and was eventually discharged back to her foster home where she continued to be closely monitored.
Charlotte said: “She began to pick up and put on weight, even making it over the 1kg mark! Her foster carer said she had become a different cat and was now eating for England, growing in confidence and starting to act how a kitten should, playing and running around the house.”
After making a full recovery, and nicknamed ‘Miracle Marie’ by the Blue Cross team, she quickly found a new home with Charlotte Raynes and her partner Connor.
Charlotte said: “When we saw Marie and how tiny and beautiful she was we couldn’t say no! And when we learned about her previous health conditions, we knew that we could give her the loving home she needed.”
Marie quickly made herself at home and was introduced to their other cat Percy.
Charlotte said: “She settled in straight away and sooner or later became a right little madam ruling the house! We believe she looks up to Percy as they are inseparable.”
Each year, Blue Cross cares for hundreds of unwanted or stray kittens. The pet charity is urging people to neuter their cat to prevent unwanted litters and also to reduce the likelihood of them straying and picking up diseases.
In August 2020, the team at Manchester Rehoming Centre received a request from a local owner to say he was struggling to provide adequate care for some kittens from an accidental litter. At just six weeks old, theyd been separated from their mother too soon, and Blue Cross stepped in straight away to help.
Charlotte Ayres, Animal Welfare Assistant at the centre recalls the terrible state of the kittens on admission, They were extremely poorly, with discharge coming from their eyes and were wobbly and lethargic. Sadly, one of the kittens passed away before we could even admit it to a vet.
The remaining surviving kitten was named Marie and was placed in foster but was still extremely poorly. She had a swollen abdomen and was being treated for worms, ear mites, fleas and suspected cat flu. Now seven weeks old, she weighed a mere 0.4kg, much less than a healthy kitten of her age should.
One night, Marie suddenly took a turn for the worse and had to be rushed to the vets after becoming extremely lethargic and wobbly. Her health was declining fast. She was hospitalised immediately and urgently treated with probiotics and antibiotics in the help they would save her life.
Thankfully, after 5 days in hospital and round the clock care, little Marie started to show small signs of improvement and was eventually discharged back to her foster home where her foster carer could monitor her closely.
Charlotte describes how gradually, Marie started to improve, She began to pick up and put on weight, even making it over the 1kg mark! Her foster carer said she had become a different cat and was now eating for England, gaining her own confidence every day and starting to be what a kitten should be, playing and running around the house.
In October on a visit with the vet, Marie proved to be in good health and was finally ready to be rehomed. Once she appeared on the website, she had an influx of over 100 applications and was perfectly matched to Charlotte and her partner Connor.
Charlotte describes how they came across her, Myself and my partner had always agreed it was a priority to adopt a cat needing a new home. When we saw Marie and how tiny and beautiful she was we could not say no. And when we learned about her previous health conditions we knew that we could give her the loving home she needed.
She quickly made herself at home and was introduced to Charlotte and Connors other cat Percy, as Charlotte fondly recalls she settled in straight away and sooner or later became a right little madam ruling the house! We believe she has looked up to Percy as they are both inseparable and are always having playful scraps with one another.
After a very shaky start to life, Marie is now thriving in her new home and has just celebrated her first Christmas. Charlotte mentions she managed to climb the Christmas tree within two weeks of it being up, and we would find her walking around the house carrying the baubles in her mouth.
Where her future had once looked so bleak, Marie had survived against the odds – a little miracle.
For more information on the work of Blue Cross or to make a donation to the pet charity to help them help more pets like Marie visit www.bluecross.org.uk
What a cutie!
So adorable and a wonderful story!
So happy you found your forever home.x???
Thank God she was saved and thank you to all who made it possible. She is beautiful.
Miracle Marie???….How blessed little Marie is to have been rescued by loving people to devote their time to rescue these kittens who are in need of a safe,healthy and loving environment.Little Maire is such a beautiful kitty and is truly ??BLESSED??