An 11-day old kitten came to her foster home, hoping someone could help her eat. The tiny calico was born with a cleft lip and palate which made it difficult for her to latch on her mother or a bottle.
Brea, an experienced fosterer from New Jersey, took her in so the kitty could get a chance at a New Life.
A week ago, New Life Animal Rescue in Marlton, New Jersey (a rescue group dedicated to helping dogs and cats with special needs) was contacted by a woman about a kitten who was unable to nurse from her mom.
The family found the mother cat outside when she was pregnant. They gave her a home and helped her with her babies.
"They have been trying to bottle feed this little one but reported that the formula kept coming out of her nose and she wasn't growing like the others in the litter," Brea shared with Love Meow.
Brea drove through the night to pick up the kitten. They named her Xena, the warrior princess.
"The next day at the vet we learned that she was dehydrated and had aspiration pneumonia and was underweight for her age (110g at 11 days). The doctor is not sure how severe her cleft is yet because she is so tiny," Brea told Love Meow.
They started her on the tiniest dose of antibiotics for the pneumonia and gave the little one sub q fluids to help her stay hydrated.
Brea tube fed little Xena every three hours around the clock.
In just two and a half days, her weight had increased by 1/3.
Both of her eyes were opened and she was getting stronger than ever.
"She loves snuggling into my elbow and trying to nurse on her Snuggle Kitty (or 'fake mom' as we call it)," Brea told Love Meow.
The little calico is living up to her warrior name!
Watch this cute video of Xena the warrior princess:
"Today she is 24 days old and thriving. She weighs 286g, more than double her original weight, and is starting to get some teeth.
"She is active and strong and certainly living up to her warrior name," Brea told Love Meow.
The rescue is committed to getting little Xena the help she needs to live a full and happy life.
Waking up is hard! Stretchhhh!
A week after the rescue... look at her now!
Share this story with your friends. Follow Xena on Instagram. If you would like to support their rescue efforts, click here to see how you can help. Follow New Life Animal Rescue on Facebook and Instagram.
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