BTW, legless cats can survive and thrive. Case in point.
Thank you all so much for all your replies and help.
Grace is still with us, hanging in there. Being already ~ 4 weeks old, obviously ‘viable’, we made the call to give her a chance.
Our biggest struggle so far has been getting her to defecate. We guess that she (and her litter-mates?) had been ready for momma to wean and she had taken them out for a hunt that grace was not able to keep up with.
She eats, but hasn’t seemed to develop the ‘taste for’ canned cat food, so we assist her in eating, though she does at times chow down a little bit. We are giving supplements as well as mineral oil to help with elimination.
She does get around, though the linoleum and hardwood floors don’t give her much traction.
Most of our 7 other cats have become accustomed to her, with the kittens and our other mildly disabled cat being the friendliest.
Having said all that, we are still not sure of her long term health. It truly IS a day to day thing. We have no impression of pain from her. She’ll sit with us and purr, she has even tried playing a bit, swatting at our fingertips.
She spends the day with my wife at her job at the vet clinic, lots of help and loving there. We both know that, ultimately, it may be necessary to put her to sleep. But that will rest entierly on her not us.
I’ll post again with more news as it comes. Thanks agin to you all.
Oh, one poster ‘ducked’ from the ‘flames’ of those that feel that ‘cats (or animals) are just as important as people.” They aren’t. But it is a measure of a person, IMHO, by how much compassion is shown, both to people and/or animals. It seemed very wrong to entertain the idea of killing her just because she wasn’t ‘normal’.
Ultimately, IF she gives up, then that will be the way of it. But IF she desires to live, and thrives, then she will have a place for as long as she lives.
Have you tried stimulating her rectum like her mother would have?
Prayers for the kitten and blessing to you.
Lovely post. Please keep us updated on your sweet kitty’s progress.
Yesterday, at my volunteer shelter, a kind woman adopted a kitten that had no eyelids. So the poor little thing didn’t even have the cuteness of a tiny baby cat. But she was taken home anyway!
God bless little Grace and her caring kitty parents!
God bless you!
BTW, legless cats can survive and thrive. Case in point.