10/22/2024
Update. This sweet boy passed away Tuesday night, just 24 hours after coming here. He purred until he couldn't.
He knew love, warmth, safety and compassion before leaving this earth.
This didn't have to be, he deserved so much more.
This is Ceres (pronounced series) - he needs your prayers and positive energy.
Today is one of those days where I can't help but ask myself, what is the point? Are we even a drop in the bucket in the never-ending need for help?
As we were pulling into town this evening after a trip to Tucson for spay and neuter pickups, we see an suv in the middle of one of the main streets and two ladies with a towel looking under the vehicle. I see a little dark shadow under one of the tires I uttered, "oh no" to David as I looked away, thinking that a baby had been hit, then I realized they were trying to catch it. Of course, I pull over right away and David and I jump out and offer our assistance, only to stand there and watch these ladies skillfully catch this baby in a towel. They said that they had found him standing in the middle of the road with his eyes shut.
They recognized us - as they had dropped off formerly Marlo, now Echo, just three months ago after finding her and her sister abandoned by their momma at only a day old.
We had a car full of kittens and David didn't want this one in the car with ours to avoid cross-contamination so the ladies followed us the few short blocks to our house. David jumped out to collect this little guy as I pulled around the back and unloaded our post ops, and then ran to safeway for my medication.
By the time I got back home, David had already cleared up the eyes as much as possible, and this is what you're seeing in the picture. He is severely dehydrated, very weak and definitely needs antibiotics. Luckily, we hoard medications when we can and David was able to get sub-q fluids in him right away. And we're starting the antibiotics tonight.
In this picture he was showing a little bit of interested in the food - so we are hopeful that he can smell well enough to continue to eat on his own, until then he will be syringe fed with formula and nutrical.. Framewise he's about the size of an average three month old kitten, but is barely tipping the scales at less than two pounds (24.8 oz). He's (at the very least) one pound underweight.
This sweet little boy is yet another victim of senseless humans refusing to take care of their animals and to spay and neuter. Had someone loved his mom or his mom's mom enough to properly care for her he wouldn't be here suffering right now. Oftentimes, it's not just the mommas that are suffering with pregnancy after pregnancy, but it's the illness that comes in the form of upper respiratory infection or even in**st leading to deformities and immune deficiencies and many other escalating problems that all could have been prevented by a spay/neuter and by responsible pet ownership. Many of these babies lose their young lives slowly oftentimes suffering as they pass away - this is senseless disregard.
Do better, be better.
