Intro
Hi, my name is Terry, I’m three and a half months old, and now I’m a happy kitten.
8 weeks ago, I almost died. My family separated me from my mom and abandoned me in the forest. I wandered for days, eaten by hundreds of fleas and flies.
Then I finally managed to get out and reach a road. There were some houses on the other side of the road, so I tried to reach them. I tried to cross it with my last strength.
The road was hot, and I lay down in the middle of it, to rest. I was so tired, I closed my eyes. Then I felt two warm hands pick me up.
At that moment my new life began.
I wanted Terry to tell the first part of this story, which we weren’t involved in yet. Our part begins with the hands, Antonella’s, who picked up that little bundle of fur and bones from the street. A little body completely covered in fleas that were crawling everywhere. Malnourished, dehydrated, dirty, cold, hypothermic, anemic (but we learned this later). It was August 1st.
Let me introduce myself: my name is Ermes, and together with my wife Antonella, we live with three cats, all adopted as kittens. Betty and Rocco are 17 years old and twins. Penelope (Penny) is 7 years old. Rocco is diabetic, eats special food, and takes two insulin injections a day. We have a fair amount of experience with cats, but we had rarely seen anything like this. Plus, we were in the mountains, out of our comfort zone.
And that’s where Google Maps comes in. “Veterinarians near me” was the first search we did. We found one, 20 minutes away! We called right away, and we had an appointment within a few hours.
In the meantime we put her in a warm carrier, away from the other cats, as she was covered in parasites and probably had some contagious diseases.. We tried feeding her, but she had a stuffy nose and a sore throat, so she wouldn’t eat. Antonella made some chicken broth, then we blended the chicken and fed her with a syringe.
The vet was fantastic! “My God, I’ve never seen so many fleas at once,” was her first comment. Then she sprang into action: Bathing with warm water, emergency anti-parasite treatment, and a physical examination.
Meanwhile, she had prepared the prescription for antibiotics, so while Antonella stayed with her, I went looking for a pharmacy.
“Pharmacy near me”, was the next search. One was a five minute drive away. They didn’t have the requested medicine, but they managed to find the proper replacement, even if it was very close to the closure time.
When I returned, the vet had completed her examination and was ready to administer the initial treatment. You’ll need to keep her separate from other cats, keep her warm because she’s suffering from hypothermia, and give her special food for a quick recovery. You’ll also need to syringe-feed her, because she can’t smell anything due to her cold and therefore can’t feed herself. There’s a pet food store not far from here.
So here’s Maps at work again. I look for a pet food store, and to my surprise, Maps directs me to a nearby farm supply store. I get there in no time, and sure enough, at the entrance, I see chainsaws and other farm equipment. So I ask if they have pet food, and the clerk guides me through the second part of the store and helps me choose the products (they have tons). They also have a heat lamp, which I buy immediately.
Two days later, the situation worsened, and it was Sunday. The vet was closed, but we found one 30 minutes away that handled emergency procedures. Google Maps helped me find the fastest route, and surprisingly, we found there the vet who had treated her two days earlier there, too.
They’re keeping Terry for emergency treatment and to get her hydrated with an IV. They told me to come back for her in the evening. “She’s doing a little better,” they tell me. “If we’re lucky, she’ll survive.”
Little by little, her cold is getting better, and so is her anemia. Her nose is starting to turn pink, a sign that the anemia is decreasing. We feed her every two hours with a syringe, and in a few days, her weight goes from 600 to 850 grams. We try taking her out into the garden, but she’s afraid of the open space and hides. When there’s a storm, she cries in fear. Then she starts to smell things, the first being food. Then she starts to eat on her own. She’s eating a lot, she’s working hard, she’s starting to play, run, jump, climb.
We no longer need the heat lamp, so we can bring it indoors. Still in quarantine, but in a larger space.
Four vet visits later, they tell us he’s fine; he just needs another 20 days of quarantine.
Now he’s slowly getting to know the other cats. In the meantime, we need food for them too, and Rocco needs specific food for diabetic cats. Luckily, there’s a store 30 minutes away where we can find it.
Google Maps helps us find the fastest way to reach it, especially during the weekends when traffic increases enormously, due to the tourists who come to the mountains.
I’m deeply grateful to all these businesses that, even in remote areas, care for our animals. So I wanted to thank them with my reviews.
Do you have pets living with you? If so, how do you manage their health and food?
Why not share your experience with us?
) who look after us well.
