Welcome back to the blog and the next instalment of our #EightPreciousWeeks campaign!
This week, we wanted to tell you a bit more about Precious, the mother of our new kittens Onyx, Sapphire, Ruby, and Topaz. Precious is a lovely cat who came to us a heavily pregnant stray. She had a difficult experience during the birth and ended up delivering five kittens via C-section. Unfortunately, one of the kittens didn’t survive, which just shows how birth is not always straightforward… even for cats. Precious also had a post-op infection and was put on antibiotics and pain relief for a little while.
Luckily, she got better quickly, but this just highlights the importance of getting cats neutered, and the potential cost of unexpected vet bills which owners should be aware of!
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| Precious and her kittens |
Happily, both Precious and her four kittens are now doing well, and have all had their health checks. Precious’ C-section wound is healing and all of the kittens are happy and healthy... their eyes have opened up, their tiny claws are visible, and they are wiggling around making that adorable mewing noise that kittens make! One surprise came when we found out that Sapphire had been sexed wrongly and is male, not female! We still love the name Sapphire for him though, we think it suits him well.
Just like Precious’ litter, every kitten should be able to spend their first eight weeks of life in the care of their mother. It’s only then that they’re healthy and independent enough to be separated from her and go to a new home. Unfortunately, some kittens are separated from their mums too soon, by unscrupulous sellers who want to make a quick profit. They take advantage of people who don’t know that the kitten is too young to be sold and don't know the warning signs to look out for.
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| Topaz |
This is not only upsetting, but it can be life-threatening for the kittens; it can also lead to health problems if the kittens have not had the full benefit of their mother’s milk (which, as we learned in the last blog post, is full of important antibodies). The time and cost of caring for a sick kitten also make it more likely that they are relinquished to charities like Cats Protection, or even abandoned.
With the rise in cats being sold online, this is an issue we are passionate about tackling, and that’s why our Eight Precious Weeks campaign is so important!
Together with your help, we can raise awareness and vital funds for our Cats Protection Adoption Centre, so that we can continue to provide amazing care to cats and kittens.
So, would you know how to spot a kitten who is younger than eight weeks?
Take our Kitten Care Quiz to test your knowledge and learn the kitten mis-selling signs!
Also, don’t forget to enter our Christmas Raffle to be in with the chance of winning an amazing hamper worth over £70.00! Your ticket donations will help us raise the much-needed funds we need to help the important work we do for cats and kittens.
Get your tickets here: RAFFLE TICKETS
-Cats Protection Bridgend Team
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