Shelby Forpe, founder of Shelby’s Cat Safehouse (in Portland, Oregon), took a little kitten named Flower to her intensive care unit late last month.

“A vet buddy asked if I may adopt two kittens from the county shelter.” “That’s how Flower found me,” Shelby explains.

Both kittens were horrible. Ultimately, no matter how hard the guardians tried, only the Flower was able to survive. “I knew she’d be OK when she started sucking enthusiastically through the nipple.”

Flower had a pretty white chin that looked like a small beard, as well as ashy fur on his belly and paws. “Her white beard was due to a hormonal imbalance,” Shelby shares.

The pigmentation disorder could have occurred because the mother cat had an illness or stress during pregnancy. In the case of the Flower, the color changed on the chin and some other areas of the coat.

She also had inflamed eyes (neonatal ophthalmia) at first, which need emergency care. “Infections can develop beneath the eyelids and, if left untreated, cause significant damage and loss of eyesight.”

Shelby used warm compresses to clean the kitten’s eyes. The baby’s life was saved after many days of meticulous care and round-the-clock nursing.

Flower had a champion appetite, energy, and healthy belly fat after just a week.

She became active and interested in the environment, just touching her – she purred. “She’s not sassy, ​​if she wants something, she stops at nothing,” Shelby says.

While the kitten was getting better and better, the silver-gray fur gradually darkened – the pigmentation was restored. The white beard disappeared for a couple of weeks.

The Flower is doing incredibly well. Looking at her eyes now, you’d never believe that they were formerly inflamed. Her white beard has nearly totally disappeared.”

Shelby presented Flower to her other ward, Polar, knowing how much Flower wanted a permanent relationship. The flower was taken under the wing of an elder cat, who taught him how to wrestle and other games.

“She enjoys playing with her big brother and climbing on my bed to cuddle,” Shelby explains.

“She’s developing into a pretty tough man, since she’s already battling with a pal three times her size.” These two make a lovely couple. Polar made the decision that he was her mother.

Flower has progressed a long way. She is no longer the rescued orphan she once was. Look at her: she’s a vibrant, lovely young lady who yearns to love and be loved.