Kittens dumped on brink of death
Partially blind and in a desperate state, Mac and Cheese were on death’s door when they were found by chance abandoned in a cardboard box…
“They wouldn’t have survived another 24 hours,” said Vanessa Margrave, Animal Welfare Assistant at our Burford rehoming centre.
Kittens Mac and Cheese were on the brink of death; starving hungry and suffering with an appalling case of untreated cat flu, which had ulcerated and destroyed an eye belonging to each of them.
The sisters were found dumped in the countryside by a family out walking and brought to Blue Cross in the nick of time.
“They were in an absolutely horrendous state,” Vanessa continued. “They were tiny, six to seven weeks old and they only weighed 450 grams, half of what a healthy kitten should have done.”
Mac and Cheese were so poorly that they continued to lose weight for two days after arriving at our centre in Oxfordshire, where they were given emergency vet treatment and care.
It really was touch and go.
But, after a few days, they turned a corner – and Vanessa volunteered to foster the duo at home to give them the very best shot at a healthy, happy life.
She said: “They started picking up hand over fist, they were absolutely amazing – so cuddly and loving. They really thrived in a warm, home environment.”
Mac and Cheese made firm friends with Vanessa’s 10-year-old Labrador, Rosie, and nine-year-old rescue lurcher, Gypsy.
“They would cuddle up with the dogs,” she explained. “It helped them. They really loved having that animal interaction and socialisation.”
When the siblings were strong enough, they had the surgery they needed to remove their damaged eyes, which could not be saved.
The operation – known as an enucleation – went well for both of them, and they soon bounced back.
But the pain they endured could have all been prevented with a simple vaccination.
Vanessa said: “They would have lost their eyesight quite early on as the eyes were so badly ulcerated. It develops over time.
“But it honestly never bothered them. They were just the happiest, sweetest, most affectionate little things and, when they got their strength, they just wanted to play.”
After five weeks in Blue Cross care, Mac and Cheese were able to be rehomed.
They are now loving life with their new family, which includes a canine friend in the form of a spaniel.
“They’re getting on amazingly well,” said Vanessa. “They’re still as cuddly as ever and running around playing like little lunatics.”
