Jandy Jorgensen is a well-known rescuer and foster hero who saved numerous kittens from a fatal outcome.
Such was the case with little Bruce, a newborn kitten who had a rough start in life, so let’s rewind his story!
The Dumpster Kittens
While Jandy was relaxing at home one day, she received a distressed call from the local shelter in Sacramento she worked closely with.
They told her that a woman just informed them about a newborn kitten she’d found under a dumpster.
Without losing a second, Jandy jumped into her car ready to save the kitten. However, just seconds later the shelter informed her that the woman had already taken the kitten in.
Instead of turning around and driving home, Jandy couldn’t shake off the feeling there was more than just one kitten. As she said in a video:
“There was something inside of me that wanted to go anyway. Since when is there only one newborn kitten? I started looking through all the dumpsters just to make sure there weren’t any other kittens.”
Good thing Jandy came to check, because under the last dumper, little Bruce was lying helplessly.
One little meow was all he managed to release, and Jandy scooped him up ready to nurse him back to life.
At first little Bruce was like any other newborn kitten. Most of the time he was sleeping, eating, and pooping!
After a couple of days, Jandy received a call from Casey – the woman who saved the other kitten. It was Bruce’s little sister and the woman was struggling to take care of such a tiny feline.
Casey brought the kitten, named Duke, over to Jandy, and she fostered the two siblings together. The first two months were focused solely on feeding them and ensuring they grew into healthy little fluffballs.
Once Duke was old enough, she went to her forever home. Casey took her in for the second and final time. She fell in love with little Duke and she wanted to provide her with a loving home.
Jandy felt the same way about Bruce. As she shared:
“I realized, I wasn’t gonna trust anybody else with this cat, he was mine.”
Bruce became what I like to call a ‘foster fail’, meaning his foster mom couldn’t bear the thought of giving him up to someone else.
This is how little Bruce went from foster home to forever home, but unfortunately, many challenges awaited him down the road…
Bruce And His Fight For Survival
Bruce became a playful and adorable cat, who enjoyed cuddles with his mom Jandy. She even took him out on walks regularly and this was his favorite activity!
However, once Bruce turned eight months old, Jandy noticed a significant shift in his behavior.
The sweet boy became lethargic and his meows became deep, almost as if something was deeply troubling him.
Worried, Jandy rushed him to the vet only to receive the most devastating news. Her sweet boy was suffering from large–cell lymphoma, and the vet said his days were numbered.
Jandy was heartbroken, but she was determined to find him the help he needed. She contacted the best oncologist in town and the amazing vet told her to bring him to her hospital immediately.
Bruce received an emergency remedy that night, and from there he started a long journey filled with medical treatments and heavy antibiotics.
To everyone’s surprise, after just a few months of treatment, Bruce was free from this cruel illness!
He became the active and adventurous kitty he once was, joining his mom Jandy on every walk or outdoor adventure.
Although the cancer cells came back one year later, once again Bruce fought like a true champion and he defied all odds.
Beating cancer two times, he’s truly a real fighter. Jandy is more than grateful for the amazing medical team that was by his side.Thanks to Jandy who never gave up on little Bruce, he’s now able to live his life to the fullest! Make sure to follow the two over on Instagram for amazing updates posted by Jandy!
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