Last week, the life of a tiny day-old kitten was changed forever when several construction workers heard her cries and found her inside an excavator on an active construction site in Jamaica, Queens, New York. The little bundle of fur was all alone.
The superintendent at the construction site reached out to Little Wanderers NYC, an all-volunteer rescue, for help. “She was left behind, screaming her head off. The mom must have moved the others and didn’t come back for this one,” Little Wanderers shared with Love Meow.
They were able to safely retrieve the kitten who was frail and dirty. She was so small that she fit perfectly in her rescuer’s palm. Her eyes were still closed and ears folded, but the tiny calico had a strong will to live and a loud voice which led to her rescue.
The kitten was in desperate need of round-the-clock bottle feedings. Mashaal Memon, foster counselor of Little Wanderers NYC, and her family stepped up to help.
“My brother volunteered to pick her up from the site and bring her straight home to us,” Mashaal told Love Meow. “At this point, she had been at the site for hours, so she was in critical condition. Once home, we made her a warm bed with towels and a heating pad, and prepared her KMR solution.”
They named her Lizzie. She was very small but embodied the spirit of a warrior.
Raising a tiny neonate is a very taxing job. Soon, several members of Mashaal’s family joined the bottle feeding squad to care for the kitten.
“Baby Lizzie is being taken care of by the whole family. It’s a family affair,” Little Wanderers told Love Meow. “Every week, we take in 10-15 cats and kittens at our rescue. We are overwhelmed by the need, and are always looking for more bottle feeders.”
They set up a feeding schedule to provide Lizzie food every two hours and plenty of love and snuggles throughout the day. The sweet calico gobbles down the kitten formula and is so happy to be cared for.
“She took to the bottle and she’s been drinking like a champ and getting stronger and more vocal day by day,” Mashaal added.
Mashaal’s brother is smitten with the little calico and caters to her every need. After she gets a full belly, he gently places her on his shoulder for some one-on-one cuddle time.
Lizzie loves his beard and likes to rub her face against it. Perhaps, it reminds her of her mom.
Sweet Lizzie sleeps in her comfy incubator which helps regulate her body temperature. She has a big snuggle toy equipped with a heartbeat so she can nuzzle in it for comfort like being with her mother.
Mashaal’s mother made a few tiny pillows, the size of a kitten, and placed them near Lizzie so the little calico would not feel alone and always have something to snuggle with.
“It’s been really amazing watching her transform from a ‘hamster’ to more of a kitten. We (I, my sister, my brother, and my brother’s girlfriend) all banded together and took shifts feeding her,” Mashaal shared with Love Meow. “Bottle feeding is no joke but such a rewarding experience. The little bean is thriving.”
In just a few days, Lizzie has put on weight and gained a cute, chonky belly. Her eyes also are starting to open.
Source: lovemeow.com
