Mum cat, Paisley and her suffering little ones were taken to an animal shelter where staff member, Kelsey, was on hand to step in. The shelter have been praised for coming to the rescue
An animal shelter volunteer has been praised after coming to the rescue of a three-week old kitten after she appeared to be sadly rejected by her mother along with the rest of the litter. Mum cat, Paisley and her suffering little ones were taken to a shelter where staff member, Kelsey, was on hand to step in with feeding duties.
Amongst the kittens were tabbies Prim, and her sister Pru – small tabby cats who both appeared to be unsteady on their paws and hampered by a neurological problem. After Paisley was spayed and returned to her owners, however, her kittens remained in care where they quickly settled into their new surroundings.
As well as her neurological ailment, Prim also has an eye condition – but she clearly doesn’t let that stand in her way as Kelsey quickly discovered.
“Without a proper diagnosis, we treated it as if they had cerebellar hypoplasia (CH),” Kelsey told cat website, Love Meow. “We monitor their growth and progress like any other kitten, while staying mindful of their neurological symptoms.”
Kelsey reported that most of the litter learned how to feed themselves within 24 hours of their arrival – including Prim and Pru.
However, their brother, Pedro initially struggled but soon caught up with his siblings. As they became stronger from solid food, meanwhile, Prim and Pru became steadier – but the former remained much smaller than her brothers and sisters.
Kelsey hailed her resilience though. “It’s possible that she has involuntary eye movements which affect coordination and can mimic vision impairment,” she continued. “She will have a full neurological exam (soon).”
Kelsey added that her problems never hold Prim back, and she is able to do everything her littermates do – including using the litter box successfully, playing with toys, climbing and being a ball of energy.
“She is a silly girl who is very curious, and she loves to explore,” Kelsey added of Prim’s nature – so much so that she has become fascinated with a dog called Fletcher, who occasionally frequents the shelter.
Kesley closed by revealing that whenever enters the room, Prim hops onto her lap or climbs onto her shoulders. And she described the feeling as if to say Prim is saying, “I’m not done yet!” whenever she tries to rest her on her lap.
In a post shared to Instagram last week, the shelter, which is in Indianapolis, US explained: “Prim is gaining weight! Woohoo. I want her to be a bit over 2lb before surgery. She will also need a neuro exam before she is available for adoption.
“She will need a home with someone who is prepared to care for a kitten with visual impairment. It doesn’t stop her from doing most things but because she is currently kept in a single room she has what she needs close by. She will get to explore more of the house this week to see how she does with other obstacles.”