The Tiny Cyclops Who Conquered the Couch, and Our Hearts
From Porch to Purring: Sparrow’s Journey
Do you want to hear a rescue story?
Early one morning, a call came across the message line.
“My son found a kitten. There’s something wrong with his eye. Can you help?”
This is the kind of call that could lead to anything. How old is this kitten? What’s wrong with his eye? Are we talking upper respiratory infection or something more? I messaged the caller right back, and she relayed a story we hear pretty often in rescue. A single kitten had been meowing on her front porch for the past couple of days. They followed him and didn’t see any sign of a mom. He’s tiny and skinny, and there’s something really wrong with his eye.
Can I take him?
Yep. Let’s get him in here and see what we’re dealing with. I arranged for her to take him directly to one of our partner vets. When they’re really little, they can be fragile, so I wanted veterinary eyes on him right away. When I got there, the vet was somber. He’s really little, probably four or five weeks old, he’s skinny, he’s sick, and his eye is terribly infected. Too little and ill for surgery, I would need to nurse him back to health before we could even think about dealing with the eye. We named him Sparrow because he was so tiny and because he was clearly going to lose that eye. It seemed like a good pirate name.
So, I took him home, got him set up with supplementary syringe feeds, and tucked him in with a heating pad and a momma cat. This sweet stuffy has a heartbeat, and I always nestle one in with my very little singletons. I also sent off a message to the wonderful people who noticed this desperate little guy and took the time to get him the help he needed.
I got to work, feeding, medicating, and filling this little guy up with as much love as possible. He immediately showed me that he was spunky and would not give up without a fight. We had a few days that were touch and go, but he rallied and, slowly but surely, started turning the corner. By day 11, he was starting to look like a regular kitten.
And then there was his eye. We affectionately called it his zombie eye because it was just that awful. It didn’t bother him much, but he was careful not to bump it on anything, which is quite a feat if you know anything about kittens. I will spare you all the details, but suffice it to say that it stuck out from his head like a scabbed-over marble, and there was no doubt it would have to be removed. We were just waiting for him to be big enough and healthy enough for surgery.
His second appointment with the vet couldn’t have been more different. They were so excited about the weight he’d gained and his overall health that they immediately scheduled him for enucleation (eye removal). It was a little nerve-wracking because he was still so small, but it needed to be done. We got him ready for his big day and sent him into the operating room with kisses and hopes. He made it through with flying colors, and everyone at the vet office fell in love with this high-spirited little guy.
They recommended we put a cone on him so he wouldn’t mess with the stitches. First, there are no cones small enough for a little muffin his size, and second, I had a feeling he wouldn’t need it. I’d watched him carefully navigate his enclosure so as not to bump that painful eye, and I’d observed him grooming his face in a way that avoided touching it. So, we tried him without the cone and kept a close eye on him.
He did great.
Before we knew it, it was time for the stitches to come out.
He was feeling better almost immediately, and we found ourselves faced with a new problem. Sparrow needed buddies. Kittens aren’t meant to be alone, and when raised without peers, they can have problematic behaviors. I was acutely aware that Sparrow had spent too much time (necessarily) by himself. Luckily, I have a house full of cats used to socializing new fosters. So, out of the cat room he came.
It turns out Sparrow is one of those fosters who needs a prospective adopter right away —because he was at serious risk of never leaving our house. To say that he was a delightful addition to our menagerie is really downplaying what a darling he was. But luck was in his corner (and ours) when he made his first trip to a kitten workshop for our foster families. The wonderful vet holding the workshop had asked us to bring some kittens of various ages so we could practice identifying their age by their teeth. She had also brought her teenage daughter. I’m sure you can imagine what happened next.
It took a little bargaining and a little pleading, but there are few things in this world that can stand up to a daughter who desperately loves a little kitten. And so it was that little Sparrow, a sickly abandoned kitten, went to a forever home under the watchful eye of an internal medicine veterinarian. What more could a kitty want?
I suppose he could want one more thing: a buddy to grow up with.
Seeing these little guys go from destitute to thriving is so rewarding. Sparrow was such a joy to have in our home and one of the harder kiddos to hand off to his forever family. You hit the jackpot, buddy. Keep being awesome, and know that we’re out here, plucking sick kittens out of the gutter and nursing them back to health whenever and wherever we can.
Love and whiskers,
Julie
You can’t save the world but each of us can keep working hard to make our little corner of it better.
So glad to read this today. My 11 year old has to have an eye removed tomorrow. To say I am freaking out would be putting it mildly ..