Shelby Forpe, the creator of Shelby’s Kitten Safehouse (in Portland, Oregon), brought Flower, a little kitten, to her intensive care unit late last month.
“I was asked by a veterinary friend whether I might adopt two kittens from the local shelter. “That’s how Flower found her way to me,” Shelby explains.
Both kittens were bad. In the end, no matter how hard the guardians tried, only the Flower survived. “When she started drinking greedily through the nipple, I knew she was going to be all right.”
Flower had ashy fur on his tummy and paws, as well as a lovely white chin that appeared like a little beard. Shelby explains, “Her white beard was due to a hormone imbalance.”
It’s possible that the pigmentation problem developed as a result of the mother cat’s sickness or stress during pregnancy. The color of the Flower’s coat altered on the chin and in a few other places.
Initially, she also had inflamed eyes (neonatal ophthalmia) and required immediate treatment. “Sometimes infections develop behind the eyelids that, if left untreated, can lead to serious damage and loss of vision.”
Shelby washed the kitten’s eyes with warm compresses. Several days of painstaking care and round-the-clock feeding saved the baby’s life.
Flower had a champion appetite and energy, and in just a week she boasted healthy belly fat.
She grew more active and interested in her surroundings, and if you touched her, she purred. “She’s not sassy; if she wants something, she won’t stop until she has it,” Shelby explains.
The silver-gray hair gradually darkened as the kitten improved, indicating that the pigmentation had been restored. For a few weeks, the white beard vanished.
Knowing how much Flower would like a permanent partner, Shelby introduced her to her other ward, Polar. An older cat took Flower under his wing, taught him to play wrestling, and more.
Shelby explains: “She likes to play with her big brother and jumps on my bed to hug.”
“She is already struggling with a friend three times her size, so she will grow up to be a very strong guy.” These two make for a delightful couple. Polar concluded that he was her mother.
