Kitten overcomes horrific burns

Cats arrive at our Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, central London with all sorts of injuries but the case of Noodles the kitten was particularly distressing for the team. Only three-months-old, Noodles had burns all over his chest, tummy and paws.

“Noodles was handed in as a stray to a private vet practice by someone concerned about his injuries,” Vicky Ebers, Senior Veterinary Surgeon at Victoria, says. 

“Vets there sedated him and cleaned his wounds. Then, knowing Noodles needed ongoing treatment, they contacted Blue Cross to ask for help.

“When he arrived at Victoria, poor Noodles was covered in red, crusty, lesions which were falling off in clumps entwined with fur, exposing painful raw skin. 

"He’d obviously walked or laid on something hot as his top half was fine – all the burns were underneath. 

"Perhaps he’d strolled across an electric cooker – cats don’t realise the plates on the stove are hot until it’s too late. 

"He was skinny too, refusing food. And so nervous – I think he was shellshocked, having suffered this trauma and being in so much pain.”

On arrival at Victoria, Noodles was given painkillers, and antibiotics as exposed, open skin can attract bacteria, leading to infections. Dehydrated, he was also put on a drip.

Next morning, the team dressed his wounds to keep them clean over the weekend.

“We put dressings over the burns to absorb moisture and discharge,” Vicky says. “That gives them the best chance of drying out and healing. The bandages were around his chest, like a waistcoat, with his front paws sticking out.”

On her weekend off, Vicky wondered how Noodles was doing and, as soon as she arrived at work on Monday morning, visited him. The signs were positive…

“When we removed the bandages under anaesthetic, his burns were already healing with healthy skin forming underneath,” she says. 

“It helped that he was a kitten as his body was making new skin anyway as it grew – in an older cat with burns, it takes longer for new skin to form. And, while he was under anaesthetic, we neutered him so he’d be ready for rehoming when the time came.”

Now the team’s priority was to get Noodles eating.

“The nurses on the ward spent a lot of time trying to work out his favourite things to tempt him,” Vicky says. “We discovered he liked Dreamies and that was it – he was a hungry boy.”

Amazingly, given the injuries he’d arrived with, after just eight days in Victoria Noodles was ready for the next stage of his Blue Cross journey. Vicky and the vet team were salving his physical scars – now it was time for superstar fosterer Wendy Penfold, a volunteer with us for 13 years, to soothe his mental scars.

“Signing Noodles off to go into foster with Wendy was a great feeling,” Vicky says. 

“He was on the next stage of his Blue Cross journey with the ultimate destination of a happy home. We’d done our bit at the hospital – now Wendy would do hers, growing Noodles’ confidence so he was ready to be adopted.”

Wendy was moved when she heard Noodles’ story.

“I felt so sorry for him – he’d been through such a lot,” she says. “I wasn’t surprised he was shy when he arrived at mine, finding a safe hiding place in his chalet. So I gave him all the time he needed. 

"And, day by day, he grew braver – Dreamies helped a lot with coaxing him out. Slowly he became a playful little kitten although, if I tried to pick him up or there was a loud bang, he was off.”

Sure enough, Noodles’ new owners saw his potential when they visited him at Wendy’s.

“I was so proud of how well he did on first introduction, coming – albeit cautiously – forward to say hello,” Wendy says. 

“But we’d explained to the family what he’d been through and they understood. ‘I’m sure he’ll be a lap cat one day,’ I told them. He’s such a special, brave little boy.”