My wife, Rose, runs one of the largest apartment complexes in the area. Recently there has been an increase in the feral cat population on her property. I told her that she could get traps from the Humane Society and once caught, we could have them fixed (out of our pocket, of course) and returned to the property. Unfortunately, Rose has so much work and is chained to her desk eleven hours a day that she has no time for anything else.
Yesterday evening, while eating dinner, Rose got a call from Luis, her maintenance supervisor. He said a resident had informed him of an abandoned kitten. When he got there, he found blood on the sidewalk and a solitary kitten with no mother in sight. He decided to take the kitten home and call Rose to ask for advice.
I know it is very difficult to raise a newborn kitten without its mother. Many don’t make it. I also know that some people will take the kittens thinking that they are helping, not knowing that the mother is close by, perhaps hunting or just hiding, waiting for the humans to leave. She could also be in the process of moving the kittens. In this case, it seemed the mother was not returning.
Rose hung up with Luis and called her sister, Felice, who is an expert in rescuing newborn kittens. She works for a vet and has brought many kittens back from the brink of death, while also losing a few along the way. She told Rose to bring the kitten to her and then started the process of turning her bathroom into a makeshift nursery. Our Puck was saved in Felice’s bathroom.
We immediately put our food away and headed to the property to pick up the kitten. Luis had it on a towel in a small box. He handed it to me and Rose sped away, driving her Mustang like it was an ambulance. She was very careful not to break any speeding laws (fingers crossed) while we raced the 24 miles to Felice’s house.
When we arrived, Felice picked up the kitten and said it was too cold. She brought it into the “nursery” where she had a cat carrier set up with an electric heating pad on the bottom topped with a towel and another towel or two covering the top of the carrier, making it an incubator.
She put the kitten inside for a few minutes and then took it out and gave it some formula. She squeezed a small amount of the mixture in the side of the kitten’s mouth. Putting it directly in the mouth was not good. I believe she said it could introduce air bubbles into its stomach. That is not what she said but that is how I interpreted it. After only a couple of drops of food, she put the kitten back in the incubator for about fifteen minutes. She then took it out and gave it more food.
Taking care of a newborn kitten is a lot of work. Felice says it will need to eat every two hours for the first couple of weeks of its life. Once it is old enough, we might have to adopt it if we can’t find someone to give it a home. We do not want to leave that burden with Felice but I hope we find it a home because we already have more cats than allowed. I would hate to be forced to get rid of cats after they have become family members.
By the way, if the cat is a boy, Rose want’s to name him Luis.
Bad Cat Chris 
My sister is amazing!
Yes she is.
Oh what a tiny little guy……Luis is a perfect name for him….and I hope and pray that Felice can give the little one a chance. I’m sure he never would have survived without help from everyone….bless him AND bless you all…..we’re praying for him…………BIG time.
Sammy and Mom Pam
Thank you Sammy and Pam. He seems to be a fighter so I am hopeful.
Paws crossed for everyone. Can you see if there is a TNR group in your area? Alley Cat Allies has resources as well.
We are going to try to get help from the Humane Society.
What Angels all of you are, I have a feeling Felice will work her magic (what a coincidence her name is “Felice” almost like “Feline”), actually, that isn’t a coincidence but divine intervention. Sending healing purrs and prayers, I have a feeling that is going to be one lucky little boy.
I had not made that connection but it is appropriate. I hope your feeling is correct.
That’s the tiniest kitten we have ever seen. It was thanks to Astrid being cared for in that way that she is now my beloved “heart” cat. Luis or Louise would be a purrfect name for that sweet baby. We will be purring and praying for her survival. You sister is an angel, and we will keep her in our prayers as well. Hope to see you tomorrow for Sunday Selfies. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
Thank you for the prayers. Always look forward to the Sunday Selfies.
Thank God Felice knows how to take care of a kitten. I will pray for this sweet little kitty. And how kind of you and Rose to transport too. It is so sad that there are so many feral and abandoned kitties everywhere. Is there a local rescue that could help?
Thank you. There is the Humane Society nearby and perhaps this could be a motivator to get some traps put out.
He’s so tiny ! We cross our paws that everything goes well ! Purrs
Thank you. I am very hopeful.
I hope the little thing makes it 🙂 It is now in good hands 🙂
I am lucky to have such a special sister-in-law.
Felice is a SUPERSTAR!!! and Luis is a cutie pie, mes is purraying that he makes it!
Kisses
Nellie
Thank you Nellie.
OMC! Paws crossed that this baby makes it – and that he finds a good home. Felice is one amazing human.
Thank you Summer. Felice is a real role model.
Hope the kitten makes it. He certainly has a lot of good people looking out for him 🙂
He sure does. So far the kitten is doing well.
Awww so tiny !
Keep my paws crossed that he will make it and that you will find a home for him ❤
Thank you
We’re purring that the kitten makes it. Paws up to Felice!
Thank you. So far, so good.
Reblogged this on Bad Cat Chris and commented:
I originally posted this almost three years ago and can tell you that Miss Luis, which I believe is what she is now called, is doing well at her forever home.
That really is a tiny kitten. Luis would be the purrfect name if it is a boy. We are so pleased that Felice has the expertise to take care of this baby. We’ll keep this little fur ball in our prayers. Please keep us posted. XOCK, angel Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, Cooper Murphy and Sawyer
That post was from 2015. The kitten turned out to be a girl and she was adopted when she was old enough. I hear today she is doing great.