Caturday - My First! A RESCUE Story Like NO OTHER!

MEET YODA!

This GORGEOUS Kitty has a remarkable story!

When we moved to this property the landlord convinced us to keep the barn kitty that the previous tenant left behind. That was Yoda's mom. Of course, we couldn't say no to a sweet barn cat! Afterall every farm needs a good mouser and she is that! A few months later she had a litter of kittens she hid in our barn where we couldn't get to them. Everything seemed okay for a few days. Then on Earth Day, I discovered she had separated one kitten from the nest and had stopped feeding it. Her little eyes weren't even open yet! By the time I got her out from inside the wall she was cold and lifeless but I cried when I heard the faintest scratchy mew from my hands, SHE WAS ALIVE!!??
My wildlife rescue/mother mode kicked into high gear and I immediately put her in my bra to begin warming her up instantly. I got back to the house and got the heating pad and held her against my heart with the heating pad praying and begging she would live. I knew I had to get her warm before I could try to feed her milk, but I had no experience milking a cat!? But what I did have is my own colostrum! I had just given birth to my youngest son and my milk had come in heavy that day and I really needed to pump! So I got a tiny syringe (no needle) and began to put drops of colostrum on the tip of her tongue that was sticking out. That's when I discovered her mouth was full of barn dirt and debris!!?? I had to very gently and carefully wash her mouth a little at a time with a little milk till most of the debris was out.
Once I had most of it out and had rehydrated her dry little tongue she started licking at the milk! She was showing signs of being a survivor once again! It was a long slow process at first. Tiny drops of muddy milk to get her started. She gradually started getting a few ml every hour. It had to be given very slow and gentle to prevent aspiration. Once I had her somewhat stable I went and rescued the other kittens out of the wall and made momma kitty follow me into my older daughters room where she was giving lots of attention. Mitsie, the mother cat, was happy to lick and nurse the abanded beauty... but... her belly never filled, no matter how long I kept Mitsie in the box nursing, Yoda never got milk in her belly!?The only thing I can think is she must have had some unseen deformity affecting her suck reflex. So, I had to continue syringe feeding her for the next 6 weeks! It was a day and night job to be sure she got enough milk to thrive. By 6 weeks I taught her to drink milk from a bowl and she was growing and active! We did it! My daughter and I really bent over backward to make sure we offered her milk as often as she would take it and it worked!
So now two years later we get to still love on this sweet shy girl! She has no meow. Not sure if it is part of her pre-existing condition or from all the grit she had in her throat from trying to nurse on the barn floor. Her ears don't stick out as much as they did when the kids started calling her Yoda but the name stuck. I wanted to call her Gaia but it never stuck like Yoda did. I am glad I found her when I did, she was meant to be a part of our family!

Thank you for reading and watching Wholesome Roots!

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