One morning, Courtney Bailey heard a crying sound echoing through a parking lot just outside her home in Idaho. When she came closer, her heart sank.
It was a tiny kitten huddled under a streetlight, crying and terrified. The poor thing had probably been abandoned, left to fend for herself in the cold, as Courtney shared in a YouTube video:
“She was outside my house crying for help all alone and sick. We think someone had just left her there. She was scared and confused.”
When Courtney reached out to scoop her up, the little kitten flinched and scrambled back, clearly scared of humans. But Courtney wasn’t going to give up on her.
She moved slowly and after a while, she got close enough to gently pick her up. As soon as Courtney cradled her, the kitten stopped crying.
Instead, she started purring which made Courtney’s heart melt.
The little furball was so fragile. She weighed just a little over a pound and a half.
She was clearly in bad shape – thin, dehydrated, and suffering from an eye infection. On top of that, she had a painful urinary tract infection that made everything even worse.
But Courtney was determined to help her feel better so she took her home and spent the entire day giving her kitten food, water, and medicine.
With a little care and rest, the kitten started to show signs of improvement. Her eye began to heal, and the blood in her urine gradually disappeared. It was such a relief to see her getting better, even in small ways.
Courtney gave her a bath, and as the water turned gray from all the dirt, it hit her just how much this tiny soul had endured.
But just when it seemed like things were turning around, the kitten’s condition worsened again.
She grew so weak that she couldn’t eat or drink. It was so hard to watch, but Courtney refused to give up on her little friend.
There were times when Courtney thought she might lose her and those moments were incredibly hard. But the little one kept fighting, showing incredible strength.
With every syringe feeding and dose of medicine, she started to pull through.
Then, one day, as Courtney was getting her medicine ready, something amazing happened. The kitten stood up!
She wobbled but managed to walk across the room, as Courtney shared:
“She was still weak but she walked for the first time in days and even started eating on her own again.”
It was a huge step, and Courtney knew she would get strong again.
From that day forward, the kitten’s progress was steady. Her eye fully healed, and she started to put on weight.
It was clear she was feeling better, and she began to show her playful side, just like any kitten should. Courtney knew it was time to name her, so she called her Reese, sharing:
“She stretches with me, plays in the sink while I’m getting ready and even knows my alarm means it’s time to get up. If I don’t wake up she makes sure to wake me herself.”
When Reese met the family’s tuxedo cat, Sir, a special connection was formed right away. Sir stepped up as her guardian, looking out for her in the sweetest way.
He instinctively took care of Reese and offered her comfort and protection. Courtney couldn’t help but smile as she recalled:
“It was so sweet! Sir made sure the dog didn’t come too close to Reese. It was like he knew she needed him.”
Reese’s personality shone through and she turned into the little bundle of joy that brought so much happiness to her family. Courtney shared:
“She carries her toys everywhere and even tried to share one with us by dropping it into our spaghetti during dinner.”
In just a month, Reese had grown so much – she had doubled in size! She was now a happy, healthy kitten, full of energy and love.
It was clear that she was living her best life!
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