T.C.S.S #4 – Silent passing of another kitten

It was a sad afternoon for me today. I received news that another motherless neonatal kitten had succumbed despite its own desperate attempts to survive and the valiant efforts of a kind Samaritan and his spouse.

I was surfing the Clubsnap forum late Sunday night when I saw a plea for help. The kind souls, ie, David and his spouse, had rescued a 4-day old kitten after seeing another cat killed its sibling and the mother cat not in sight. With no experience in raising neonatal kittens, he had sent an online plea for help.

Deep in my heart, I knew the kitten would have a fierce battle ahead just to keep alive. Without its natural mother, its chances had dropped dramatically even with the best human intervention and support. Somehow, we just cannot replace the mother cat.

The little one was a survivor and showed signs of recovery after a trip to the vet. But those who had brought up motherless neonatal kittens would know that sometimes for no reason, they will just start to fade. And it started to fade today before it breathed its last at around 5pm today.

To tell you that I was not affected would be a lie. Although I do not know David or his wife or the fact that I have not seen the kitten physically, I felt very sad at its passing.

It reminded me of Duan Duan who had passed on at 2am under our watch. I remember my wife crying while holding its lifeless body, still warm and soon stiff from rigor mortis. She told me she had been singing to her and asking her to release herself from the pain while she took her last breath. I remember creating a small paper box to hold her body while her sibling, Chang Chang, was crying loudly in his box. I’m not sure if he knew his sister had made a move first and if he was already pinning for her. Maybe it was because she knew that we were greenhorns then and that 2 kittens would be too many for us to handle and had thus sacrificed her life to ensure that her little brother will survive with 100% attention from us.

I am not sure what the reason is but I choose to believe that she knew what she was doing and had made the right choice. Little boy Chang Chang had grown up well and I am sure she would like it that way too.

The Wife and I were discussing this issue yesterday and she said that if we find another neonatal kitten/s again, she will make sure that she will work harder and not let another one pass on under our watch.

Throughout this episode, it made me realize how important it is for us to be prepared. I was fumbling to locate useful online information I had made use of when we had Chang Chang and Duan Duan. So here are these useful links again from Jeri Dopp and here.

And to David and his wife, thank you for giving this kitten badly needed love, care and attention during its short life on Earth. The kitten thanks you.