by Lorraine Monfils
Mid morning on a Tuesday a gentleman is driving down the road. It is a road that he travels every day. Today is different. He passes by something in the snow bank and is not quite sure what it is. Then he decides to back up and pull over to see it closer. There in the snow bank sits a tiny kitten about 8 or 9 weeks old. She just sits there shaking and crying. She does not move as he approaches and she lets him pick her up and put her in the truck where it is warm. He takes her home and offers food, which she gratefully accepts and he calls The Ark to see if we can help her. We quickly accept this little girl in to our care.
Once in our care I notice that she is what we call a bobtail. She has no tail and was born this way. What concerns me more is that her hind end is wet and there is a distinct odor. I quickly clean her up and notice that her bottom is very red and inflamed. Once she is bathed I put her on a heating pad to keep her warm and offer her more food and water. She eats like she has not had food in a very long time. A few hours later I smell the odor again and notice she is wet once again and that she has not used the litter box, but the blanket she is on is saturated. It is clear to me that she did not even know that she had soiled the blanket.
I quickly call the vet and ask if they can see her, and one of our wonderful volunteers puts her in the car and drives her to see Dr. Monteith. Once at the vet it is determined that she has a very bad infection and is put on antibiotics. They have to express her bladder every few hours. The odor I smelled was a bad infection. It is unclear at this point if there is nerve damage. We have named the little girl Bubbles and one of the vet techs is taking her home every night to monitor her progress. She will be at the vet for at least two weeks. We are praying that Bubbles makes a full recovery so she can be adopted to her fur ever home.
It is clear that this little girl is used to the human touch and has been handled, so why was she found outside in a snow bank on one of the coldest days of the year in this condition? She would have frozen to death if she had been out there much longer. Anyone could tell that there was something wrong with her and that she needed medical attention.
This goes back to what I keep saying: If you can’t afford an animal please do not get one. Please neuter and spay your pets. It is the only way to eliminate situations like this. Bubbles would have died a slow cruel death by freezing to death. No animal deserves that. If you have pets please do the humane thing and keep them inside in the cold weather.
Fortunately Bubbles had a guardian angel looking out for her that day. To the gentleman who rescued her on the side of the road, we cannot thank you enough for what you did for this tiny kitten. You made a difference in the life of an animal and that is something to be very proud of. For the staff at the vet clinic who continue to go above and beyond to help this tiny kitten, thank you. You are angels, and for the volunteer who dropped everything to get her to the vet you have no idea how much we appreciate you.
For now Bubbles remains at the vet clinic. We are told she has plenty of spunk and that her little motor runs all the time. We will keep you updated on Bubbles’ progress. We are hoping she makes a full recovery.
Tonight say a prayer for Bubbles and for all of the others out there in the cold struggling to survive. If you know of a situation where an animal needs help, please contact the proper authorities.
Thank you for your continued support and as always thank you for reading our column.
Lorraine Monils is director of the Ark Animal Sanctuary
