Last Saturday we took in two tiny black kittens that were about 9 weeks old. The kittens were found on the Foxcroft Road, and while we don’t know the whole story, their circumstances are very questionable.
When I took the kittens out of the box they arrived in I was horrified at the condition they were in. They were emaciated and both had very bad eyes. One of the eyes looked like it was just hanging there. In all of my years in animal rescue I had never seen anything like this. It broke my heart. The two tiny kittens just sat there and looked at me and I could tell that they were in pain. Of course it was Saturday and there were no vet clinics opened. We cleaned the kittens up as best we could not even daring to touch the really bad eye, they were treated for ear mites and fleas and we washed their faces. We knew they needed immediate vet care so I sent our vet an email with pictures of them.
A few hours later I received a phone call from Dr. Monteith to bring them right over. We arrived at the clinic around 8 p.m. and the healing process began for these two tiny souls. The little boy we named Luke and the little girl we named Lydia.
Luke was in pretty bad shape, while Lydia was not has bad. Lydia had an ulcer on one of her eyes and it was questionable as to whether it would have to be removed. Lydia was given an injection of pain meds, an oral antibiotic, her eyes were treated and while she had already been treated for ear mites her ears were so bad they were going to need a lot more work over the course of the next few days.
Luke’s condition was not good, his eye had ruptured and would have to be removed, the second eye was questionable and might also have to come out. Luke was treated the same as Lydia and at that point he was scheduled for surgery on Monday.
With pain meds on board they both settled in for the night and even ate which was a very good sign. On Sunday Lydia’s eye was showing signs of improvement and it looked like she would not have to have it removed. Luke, on the other hand, was not as well. His questionable eye was showing no signs of improvement and we were sure that he was going to lose both eyes.
Now I know to most people a cat with no eyes would be something they couldn’t wrap their mind around, but for me it would be okay because he would have no more pain and he probably couldn’t see anyway with the condition of his eyes, and he was young enough so he could adjust. We knew Luke would be okay despite his circumstances.
Monday morning came and Lydia was still improving, and surprisingly so was Luke. He had his surgery, but only one eye was removed the other was starting to show signs of improvement. Luke was up and purring after his surgery, removing that eye took away so much pain. Now these two are well on their way to recovery and will be happy healthy kittens.
I should mention that Lydia only weighed 1.3 pounds and Luke 1.5 pounds. No kitten at that age and weight should have to go through what these two have. Kittens are supposed to be healthy, playful and happy. How could anyone let this happen? The kittens were not feral they were very used to the human touch so there is no doubt in my mind that they belonged to someone. To say that someone is irresponsible, cold hearted and just plain unconscionable is an understatement. While we cannot prove who owned them we have a good idea so if anyone has any information about these two sweet kittens please contact Lorraine at 532-7387.
For now Lydia and Luke remain at the vet clinic and the start of their new life is just beginning. We will keep you updated on their progress in the upcoming weeks. These two are the sweetest little kitties with a strong will to survive. We are so glad that we got to be a part of their rescue. If you would like to donate to help with their vet bills checks can be mailed to 70 Main St., Houlton, ME, 04730. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your continued support and as always, thank you for reading our column
The Ark Animal Sanctuary is located on 101 Old Woodstock Road. To contact Lorraine Monfils call 532-7387 or check out their Facebook page.
