Poor Cheeky was so sick that she could only stumble around when she tried to walk. But her loving foster mom Laura made sure that Cheeky got better and had the life of a normal kitten.
The tortoiseshell kitty, was just 2-weeks-old when she and her siblings arrived at Cat Adoption Team (CAT).
Volunteer Laura offered to take the siblings in and give them bottle feedings and neonatal care they needed.
On her feet
Laura says that Cheeky definitely stood out amongst her ginger siblings, Chippy and Moppet.
She had quite the set of lungs, despite being the smallest of the three.
The kitties required bottle feedings every two hours and were doing well. They were meeting their growth marks and started to learn how to play.
But when Cheeky hit her four-week mark, Laura noticed that the kitty wasn’t steady on her feet.
“The next day, it was worse and she could hardly walk. I took her to CAT’s onsite hospital and she was put on antibiotics,” Laura told Love Meow.
Cheeky was diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, which is a parasite. Cheeky got so sick at one point that she couldn’t move properly or hold her head up.
But Cheeky was a fighter and undertook a 28-day treatment. Cheeky still needed help getting to the litter box and standing steady while she was eating.
“After the first week or two, we started to gradually see improvements,” Laura said.
Cheeky wasn’t giving up and little-by -little pushed herself to start sitting up, walking, and playing with her siblings. She slowly cultivated her balance. Though she was a bit wobbly, she loved to rough house with her siblings and tried her best to keep up with them.
“I feel at this point having her interact with her siblings and moving around are helping her,” Laura said. “She went from a kitten that couldn’t stand or sit up to a kitten that was running and jumping (nonstop). She was able to get to the litter box by herself, and eventually started eating on her own.”
Cheeky went on to even eat from a bowl all on her own. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the love and care of her foster mom.
“Cheeky has proved to be a feisty survivor with lots of torti-tude. She has a big personality and is growing into a beautiful little cat,” Laura said. “We call her the energizer bunny because she’s in constant motion. I think she will be one of those cats that can jump up to very high spaces.”
Getting Cheeky with it
Cheeky grew very close to her foster mom. She loved to perch on her shoulder and snooze under her chin. She was also a very energetic cat.
“Eight weeks ago I didn’t think she’d make it to this day. Now, she rarely slows down for lap time unless she’s worn herself out,” Laura said.
Laura did such a good job taking care of Cheeky that she grew healthy enough to be put up for adoption. And Cheeky is loving her forever home.
You can help Laura help other cats like Cheeky by checking her out on Instagram @fosterkittenpdx.