When Yvonne walked into Chris’ office with her two boys and a box containing an abandoned kitten, little did he know he’d develop a strong bond with the tiny feline.
Found near a cricket playground, the kitten was alone and scared, suffering in the scorching heat.
Thankfully, she ended up in the care of Dr. Chris Brown, a compassionate vet with a soft spot for kittens in distress.
The First Time Dr. Chris Saw The Kitten
The moment Dr. Chris laid eyes on the kitten, he was taken aback by her condition, saying how Yvonne had brought her in just in time.
“It’s a really hot day outside, so for this kitten to be alone and inside this box in the heat really worries me.”
The kitten appeared exhausted and drowsy, likely from being trapped in the box under the blazing sun for too long.
Dr. Chris estimated she was about seven or eight weeks old – far too young to fend for herself.
He told Yvonne that she had brought the kitten in the nick of time. If she had been any minute late, the kitten might not have survived. He said:
“When you have a kitten that’s this small, their whole body is operating on such a high level that it needs water really regularly, needs food really regularly, and if it goes without for more than a few hours in heat, then it can dehydrate very quickly and… you can lose a kitten like this in direct sun in just an hour or so.”
According to Dr. Chris, if his tiny feline patient really did have heat stroke, the whole team was supposed to act pretty quickly, as her body temperature could dangerously spike.
So without hesitation, Dr. Chris got to work. He noted the kitten’s light pink gums, likely a result of shock and dehydration. Her heart rate was elevated, and her body temperature hovered at the upper end of normal.
Although she didn’t have heatstroke, there was still cause for concern.
When placed on all fours, the kitten struggled to bear weight on her front paw, keeping it raised most of the time.
“For her to be holding her leg up, you know the injury is severe, but my concern right now is that the trauma may have been so great it’s damaged the nerve in her leg. If she has damaged the nerves, things are a bit more serious, because you can’t fix nerves, but you can fix bones.”
Dr. Chris proceeded to squeeze the kitten’s damaged paw, waiting for her reaction. If she showed any signs of pain or discomfort, that would indicate that her nerves were fine – which ultimately turned out to be the case!
The next step was an X-ray, which revealed a major fracture in the kitten’s front left paw, necessitating surgery.
Before the operation, he asked Yvonne and her two sons to choose a name for the kitten. Since she was found near the cricket playground, he suggested “Cricket,” a name the boys enthusiastically agreed upon.
Afterward, the courageous family departed, leaving Dr. Chris and Cricket to prepare for the life-changing surgery ahead.
The Surgery
The next morning at the clinic, Dr. Chris and head vet nurse Nail were gearing up for the delicate surgery on little Cricket. Since she was so young and small, the surgery posed its challenges – any misstep could be harmful to the tiny kitten.
“There’s no doubt that anesthetics for animals this size and this age have a huge amount of risks associated with them simply because the animals are so young and so fragile, they don’t have the energy reserves. And really, if they lose just a little bit of blood that makes a huge difference to their circulation.”
According to Dr. Chris, every step they took had to be done with extreme caution, or they might lose the kitten.
Accessing the fractured bone was difficult, but Dr. Chris managed it. The next challenge was to insert the pin into the top fragment and connect it with the other end. However, this was tricky with a small kitten like Cricket.
“Like a lot of kittens, Cricket has very thin bones. She’s only been on this earth for about eight weeks, so she hasn’t had much calcium to really strengthen them up. So I know if I push too hard, I could actually crack the bone. If I do that, then this whole operation will be a failure.”
After inserting the pin, they needed another X-ray to ensure it was in the right place.
Thankfully, the X-rays looked good, and Dr. Chris was satisfied with the placement of the pin. He then went back to the operating room to trim the excess pin piece and stitch Cricket’s leg.
After an hour and a half on the operating table, Cricket was left to rest. Dr. Chris anxiously awaited her waking up, hoping she would feel good.
“When you’re dealing with an animal as small as Cricket is, you can’t relax at this stage. We have to keep our eye on the game and make sure that Cricket wakes up from this anesthetic perfectly.”
Thankfully, Cricket soon woke up, much to Dr. Chris’s relief. However, they needed to wait a couple of days to determine if the operation was truly successful.
The Recovery
The day after surgery, Dr. Chris was amazed by Cricket’s progress. The little feline was doing much better, even standing straight on all fours willingly.
“It’s the best possible outcome, to already just 12 hours after the operation, to have her willing to put some weight on it. That’s far beyond my expectations.”
The following day, Cricket had visitors eagerly anticipating her recovery: It was Yvonne and her boys who rescued her! They were all thrilled to see Cricket doing so well and making amazing progress.
Dr. Chris could tell the boys were smitten with Cricket, brainstorming ways to convince their mom to adopt the kitten.
As for their mom, becoming a cat parent was a big decision that required careful consideration.
However, whether they decided to take Cricket home or not didn’t matter. As Dr. Chris put it, they had already saved her life, which was the most important thing to remember.
Cricket’s Forever Home
After four weeks of recovery, Cricket was thriving. She was a happy and energetic kitten, always on the lookout for something to play with. All of this meant that it was finally time to find her a forever home.
Dr. Chris reached out to Yvonne who initially rescued Cricket, but unfortunately, she and her family weren’t ready to take in a cat. Dr. Chris understood, knowing it’s crucial not to force a pet into a family that isn’t prepared.
Luckily, another person expressed interest in adopting Cricket – Dr. Chris himself!
“It’s been kind of a funny situation because I truly did want Yvonne and the kids to adopt Cricket. But each and every time I found I was trying to convince them into taking her, I was giving reasons as to why I should ultimately adopt her.”
For Dr. Chris, it felt like a natural decision. During Cricket’s treatment, he had developed a strong bond with her. Being a veterinarian and having owned cats before, he knew he could provide the perfect home for Cricket.
Plus, since saying goodbye to his cat George a couple of years ago, he felt ready for a new feline companion.
Although Cricket made a mess of Dr. Chris’ house in the first few hours, she quickly settled in, proving to be a pretty good roommate.
Despite the challenges she faced, including surgery and recovery, Cricket grew into a happy cat, excited about the future. And with Dr. Chris as her loving owner, the future looks bright indeed.
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