A woman was startled to hear a faint squeaking sound coming from the bushes in her backyard late one evening. Intrigued, she searched through the foliage, and to her surprise, she found the tiniest, sickest kitten she had ever seen.
Knowing that she couldn’t handle the severely ill cat on her own, she immediately contacted Sandra Lee, a well-known Los Angeles kitten fosterer. Even though Lee had recently taken in another special needs cat, she couldn’t resist helping this helpless little feline.
“She was discovered when she was about 6 to 8 weeks old, but it was impossible to accurately age her since she was so dehydrated and undernourished for her age,” Lee explained. “She had the features of a 6- to 8-week-old kitten but weighed just a pound, which is approximately the typical weight for a 4-week-old cat.”
The kitten, named Livvie, was so dehydrated that every bone in her spine was visible. Covered in fleas and displaying medical issues, her road to recovery seemed daunting from the start.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure she’d make it the first two nights, and I simply wanted to provide her a warm home and secure environment,” Lee admitted. “I was honestly terrified to check on her for the first week since she was so unwell.”
Lee rushed Livvie to the vet, where her condition perplexed everyone. Her inability to use the restroom was causing severe complications, likely due to her time living on the streets and lack of food and water. The vet suspected that her neurological issues might be a result of toxins from sewage exposure, but the long-term repercussions remained uncertain.
Livvie spent most of her time during the first four weeks at the vet, with her foster mother closely monitoring her medication, food, and water intake. Her thirst was so intense that her tiny meow resembled that of a goat. It seemed like Livvie’s journey to recovery would never end, but after four months, she was completely healed.
Once Livvie started feeling better, her delightful personality shone through, and she transformed into the friendliest, kindest cat. Her foster mother eagerly sought a permanent home for her and quickly found a suitable candidate for adoption. However, Livvie had her own ideas about where her forever home should be.
Struggling to adjust to her new surroundings, Livvie spent most of her time hiding and only ventured out to eat or play when she was alone. Her new owner tried everything to persuade Livvie to warm up, including lying on the floor and whispering soothingly for hours on end, but nothing seemed to work.
One day, Lee decided to visit and see if she could help. As soon as Livvie caught sight of her, she instantly reverted to her former self, meowing and wiggling out from her hiding spot towards Lee. It was clear that Livvie wanted to go home with the woman who had saved her life.
Although Livvie’s new owner was kind, the kitten’s true desire was to spend her days with the woman who had nurtured her back to health. Now, Livvie is reunited with her original foster family, and she couldn’t be happier. She has seamlessly blended into their lives and is relishing every moment of her second chance.
“I believe we recognized Livvie was special, even though we had particular ties with all of our fosters,” Lee shared. “We were always against foster failures since we are at capacity with our own resident animals. As soon as we came home and I took her out of her carrier, she was fully normal. She knew she was home.”
Livvie’s journey from a frail and sickly kitten to a beloved member of her foster family’s home is a testament to the power of love, compassion, and second chances.
This heartwarming story of resilience and healing was originally shared on Hot Pets News – Pets and Animals, your go-to source for heartwarming tales and helpful information about pets and animals. Visit us for more inspiring stories and useful pet care tips.
