The Bits in Between: Love and Kitty Kibbles

Last month, we opened our home to a foster kitten through DeKalb Animal Services, whose no-kill shelter is managed by Lifeline Animal Project. Calida (or Cali as we call her) was a six-week-old kitten found alone in a Decatur parking lot in early July. Cali was in poor shape when surrendered to the shelter – malnourished, dehydrated, covered in fleas and suffering from a bad case of ringworm. After a week at the shelter, she was diagnosed with “fading kitten syndrome,” an umbrella term for kittens whose health starts to decline in the first several weeks of life – basically for often unknown reasons, a kitten just fails to thrive. Symptoms include loss of appetite, dull hair coat, a lack of meowing or other sounds, and weakness and fatigue. In addition to all these symptoms, Cali at six weeks was skeletal, weighing only 520 grams (about 25% underweight). If diagnosed early, with attentive care a fading kitten can be saved. But in an overcrowded shelter, kittens like Cali just aren’t able to get individual, specialized care, and often don’t survive their infancy.

We were given lots of instruction sheets on how to treat a fading kitten, and we did a lot of Google searches, reading up on kitten and cat care sites and watching a lot of videos. We began feeding her human baby food supplemented with moist kitten food, kitten formula mixed in goat milk, and tiny kitten-sized kibble as a treat. We dosed her with anti-fungal and antibiotics to treat her ringworm. But the most important part of her treatment? Love. Good nutrition and effective healthcare might keep her alive. Love would help her thrive.

Cali is a reminder of the connection between love and good health. While kittens need to be fed every three to four hours, they need to feel love constantly. At six weeks, Cali should still be with her mother and her littermates. As an orphan kitten, no matter how much food and medicine you give her, without that constant feeling of love and security, she won’t thrive. Feeling loved, cared for and secure tends to boost the immune system and reduce the chance of illness; frequent cuddling as a “purrito” (tightly swaddling her in a soft blanket) made it easier to dose Cali her medicines while simultaneously wrapping her in love. Those who have a loving support system also tend to recover more quickly from an illness, which is evident from Cali’s quick recovery from her ringworm and skin infections. Feeling love reduces the feelings of isolation and depression while increasing the sense of belonging and happiness. Once Cali began to feel affection and security, she quit hiding under the furniture and her appetite quickly increased.

Cali is now eleven weeks old, no longer a fading kitten but a happy and healthy one. We hope all the love we gave her as a kitten will travel with her to her forever home, helping her bond with her new human and bringing them both joy, love and good health.

Kittens like Cali depend on foster homes to survive. If you are interested in fostering a kitten or puppy, contact Lifeline Animal Project at DeKalb Animal Service, foster@dekalbanimalservices.com or foster@lifelineanimal.org. Check out all the pets available for adoption at dekalbanimalservices.com – Adopt Don’t Shop!

Lizbeth A. Dison Publisher and Editor