Kitten, You Were Not A Forgotten One And You Were Loved.

[Ceeedge]

This little kitten has been on my mind. I wanted to write a post about her. She was a feral for most of her short life, but for one day she was loved and held and named. She was not anonymous and will not be forgotten. We are a (newish) foster, so our kittens are not usually with us long. This was a bit of a unique case. I was alerted by some neighborhood kids about three kittens in the trash in the park. We got all three babies with only a small amount of bloodshed (mine lol) and trapped mama in short order after. Mama went through TNR and did beautifully when released. We still have one of the girls (Cat Benetar) and the boy (Catticus Finch). Four weeks later they have been fully socialized and are up for adoption.

Then there was Winky. Winky was so tiny, less than half the size of her healthy siblings. She also seemed to not be quite right. When we got everyone home and settled we took a better look and realized that half of her rib cage was inverted. This is why she was so small. Her little body was just too damaged to grow properly. Since the vet was closed for the day we decided to make her as comfortable as possible and try to get some food in that tiny body just in case there was hope. We named her Winky the housecat. Not the best pun, but she was so tiny with huge ears and was just like a tiny little house elf.

Winky rejected the bottle, but when offered some mushy food with KMR she went to town. She played for a few minutes before falling asleep on my lap so I bundled her up in the carrier, brought it to bed and spent the night with my arm in it. She seemed to come back to life for those few minutes.. it gave me hope.

The next day we took her to the shelter that we work with... the second the tech got her hands on the kitten I knew by the look on her face. This one was not going to be coming home with us.

We got two pictures of her while she was with us.

My girlfriend had to go to work the night we found her, so these were the pictures to show the little angel was hanging in there while she was away.

Sorry for the long post.. I’ve been thinking about her a lot. I wanted something to be out there.

And Winky, know that you were not just another forgotten unwanted kitten. You had a name, you had a home and most importantly, you were loved and you were grieved over. Rest well sweet one. One day I will meet you at the bridge.

 

[Blakeney Green]

So sorry for your loss. She looks like a very sweet kitten. Thanks for taking such good care of her, even though her time here was short.

 

[Ceeedge]

I’m trying not to let this get to me. I understand that I can’t save them all.

But damnit. She never had a chance. The shelter said this was a birth defect and her organs simply could not grow. Her mama was a lovely girl that looks just like her. Brother is another grey fluffy too. We live in a lower income area and it’s not uncommon for someone to move away and just leave their animals.. or just dump them when they can’t afford them anymore. That is the reason we got into this in the first place. A pregnant cat was dumped near our house. She was lovely and obviously a pet. She is the most loving cat I have ever met. Some of the neighbors were feeding her and she just came in the house one day and refused to leave my office. After asking around a bit and no one claimed her we kept her and have adopted out most of her litter now. People make me so angry!

 

[di and bob]

I know your heartache, we have rescued many dumped pregnant females that show up at our house. It truly breaks my heart to see their struggles and then their brave determination to protect and raise the kittens. It makes me cry to think of those who never find help......
That beautiful, innocent Winky. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for providing her with a home, good food, and the love that comes with it, even if it was for such a short time. You have to know that you gave that kitten everything she wanted, and that you tried to help her, even though it was not to be. Her tiny soul is at peace now, her suffering and the pain that was in her future is gone. Her tiny heart will forever be linked to your own, a bond of love is spiritual, so eternal. She was meant to be in your life, the reasons may never be known for certain, but I truly believe it was because she needed to feel wanted, to feel loved before she left this earth, and you came through. For that, and the work you do, you will be blessed, for the Lord sees every sparrow that falls from the sky, and she now will be blessed and kept until you meet again. Take care, and thank you for letting us know of this precious, special little girl. She will be mourned and thought of by many now, as she so rightly deserves......RIP precious Winky, you will never be forgotten and will forever hold a special place in a loving heart. Good night, sleep tight, little Princess!

 

[Ceeedge]

Thank you. Just... thank you.

Something about this furry little girl reinspired me. I already wanted to help, but I feel like this has given me new purpose. I know I can’t save them all, but I can help some. I can save others. For them, it matters. They matter. No creature deserves to know nothing but suffering.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Rest you gentle, Winky, dream you deep. Your pawprints are one someone's heart forever, and your tiny life has touched more people than you can ever know.

People make me so angry!

And people like you give me hope. Thank you for trying so hard for this little one, who died as part of a family, loved and cared for, instead of in a trash pile in the park. So long as there people like you in the world, I can have hope for us all.

 

[Ceeedge]

We can’t do near as much as we want to, but we do what we can. If I ever win the lottery... well, I guess I would actually have to play first. Lol.

 

[les26]

God Bless you for what you did and bless little Winky who is now an Angel in cat Heaven....

 

[Darkiplier]

I can't even put my emotions into thoughts, let alone words.

Never stop what you're doing. We need so many more people like you.
I've never rescued a cat before, even though I've always dreamed of it. Maybe once or twice I played with cats in the street or given them a little food, but never really doing much good otherwise.

A friend once told me that stray dogs were better than domestic dogs for, other than genetics, one reason: Their love is even more unconditional. They've always lived in the inescapable cold or heat, merely ate scraps, and weren't always treated with kindness. Then you come and change all of that. You give them a home, a friend, and a life worth living, and they're more loyal and loving than any other companion.

I think the same applies to cats.