Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Abandoned cat nurses orphan kittens
Naomi enjoying a cuddle with her foster kittens Isadora, Freya, Jenson and Jenni.

Naomi adopts kittens after losing her own

A malnourished and abandoned cat, whose kittens died shortly after giving birth, has saved the lives of four orphan kittens in Leeds.
 
Naomi was found wandering the streets last Spring and was taken to Yorkshire Cat Rescue where it emerged that she was pregnant. She was placed with experienced foster carer, Sally Goodwin, so that she could give birth in a safe home environment.

"When Naomi arrived at my home, she was very poorly. She was full of cold, had runny eyes and ear mites and stress had caused her to lose most of her fur. But she wasn’t at all timid or scared, and was definitely familiar with a home environment," explained Sally.

"For whatever reason she had ended up as a stray and, like so many other cats that are lost or abandoned , she struggled to cope on the street. She seemed ever so grateful that someone had taken her in and was the most devoted cat from the day one.”

After several trips to the vet and a special diet to boost her immune system, Naomi made a full recovery. However, her kittens were born prematurely. One stillborn and the other weighed less than a bar of chocolate. Sally did her best to help by hand feeding them every few hours, but to no avail.

"She didn't want to give up and kept cleaning and trying to feed them but they were just too weak. When they died, i felt like we had both lost something precious," said Sally.

Due to the stress of losing her kittens, Naomi's health deteriorated as she continued to look for her babies and started to bring little toys into her bed for comfort.

Whilst all this was going on, Yorkshire Cat Rescue had taken in five orphaned kittens that had been abandoned at just three days old - one of which was too weak to survive and passed away.  Usually it would fall to staff to hand-rear the kitten, but on this occasion they decided that there was a better alternative. Naomi was still producing milk and desperately grieving the loss of her kittens, so it was decided that they would try and see if she would adopt the orphans.

Sally said that what happened next brought tears to her eyes: “She ran to the box and instantly began washing the little orphan kittens. It wasn’t long before they started feeding and for the first time in days, Naomi purred. She finally seemed at peace and I just cried.”

“Her coat is so shiny and full again, and she now demands attention from me. I really hope it doesn’t take long before she finds a new home. After everything she has given, no cat deserves it more,” says Sally.

Anyone interested in offering Naomi a home should call Yorkshire Cat Rescue on 01535 647184 or email mail@yorkshirecatrescue.org

Image (C) Yorkshire Cat Rescue

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.