That kitten shows no sign of being in any significant pain. I think he’s very high on Fentanyl. The longer article says he “bats playfully at toys” and that he’s eating on his own. This is nowhere near comparable to the condition of a severely burned human who is in pain beyond what painkillers can alleviate. And despite having been born feral, and his only experience with humans being the pseudo-humans who set him on fire and the staff at the vet hospital who have been treating him, in the photo where he’s perched on that vet’s shoulder, he’s looking like he feels safe and secure, not fearful and looking for a way to escape. This tells me that the treatments he’s been receiving have not caused him to view humans as a source of any serious pain.
You can watch a video of the kitten playing, and then curling up for a nap afterwards, here http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=MEDIA&bcpid=770169275&bclid=769393745&bctid=1111458181 He’s just not a candidate for euthanasia at this time.
If he’s survived this long, I think he’s almost certain to make it. I think the vet was saying that without all this special care, he wouldn’t make it, not that he doesn’t have an excellent chance with the care. Yes, there’s a chance that an infection will set in, and kill him (probably quickly, if it happens). But it seems unlikely at this point.
Per this article http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/12/BAG61QV7A11.DTL it sounds like another good reason to pull out all the stops to try to save this kitten, is the little boy who rescued it. He’s growing up in a gang-infested neighborhood and needs to see the big effort to follow through on his effort to help a tortured, terrified, helpless creature.
“Getting all weepy isn’t often a good idea in a place known for gang activity and murders, but it hasn’t been easy for 11-year-old Cesar Rojas to hide his feelings concerning the little kitten he found nearly burned to death. He turns his head when visitors ask about the kitten he and a friend found cowering in the bushes June 19 after two older girls allegedly set it on fire. “It was barely breathing when we got it,” he said, his voice scarcely audible. “It wanted to live.” Cesar saved the kitten’s life when he picked it out of the bushes and brought it to the apartment manager . . . While kicking a soccer ball with his friends, Cesar said he is happy the kitten is still alive and angry at the girls accused of torching it. “They should go to jail,” he said, looking up, his eyes glaring with anger and pain. Then he turned and ran off.”
Thanks for the video link. That video says it all. He seems like he is in fine spirits to me.
Thank you so much for this! That video makes just makes me cry. It’s nice to know people care so much about him....I hope though, that they find his siblings that were stolen...I hate to think about that.