Firework kittens
Can we turn these feral kittens into pets?
Cats, Rehabilitate, Volunteering, Fostering
From the bushes to a better life
Alone in the bushes, being picked on by magpies - she was in a sorry state. Likely pushed out by a nearby feral colony, she was incredibly sick and frail, only 2 weeks old. We weren’t sure she’d make it. She showed clear signs of cat flu: her left eye was gunked shut, she had watery diarrhoea, constant sneezing, and was crawling with fleas. She was so weak.
Despite all that, our amazing behaviour assessor Jessie carried her around tucked under her t-shirt on that first day - keeping her warm and comforted. She needed hand-feeding and eye drops at one end, and Sudocrem at the other!
Matilda showing her strength, still in isolation with cat flu
By the end of the month, her breathing worsened and she was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. Off she went to Rosemary Lodge vet hospital, and she began a course of nebuliser treatments. It’s a bit like a human inhaler—she was placed in an enclosed space while a medicated mist helped ease her breathing.
Just this week, her vet check-up showed her cat flu had finally cleared. A huge milestone.
We don’t like seeing kittens alone - it’s stressful for them at such a young age. But then came Chilli, another single kitten left at a local vet practice, nearby to where Matilda was found, also with flu. There’s a chance they’re siblings! While cat flu can come in different strains (a bit like a cold), we felt the benefits of companionship outweighed the risks so we introduced them slowly - and it’s been heartwarming to watch them bond.
These two are growing stronger every day, and we will look for homes for them from our kitten list in a few weeks.
